News

February

  • Our project entitled “Two-way shape memory polymer with physiologically relevant reversible actuation for endotracheal tube” is awarded KU General Research Fund. 

March

  • Our paper entitled “Manipulating wettability of catalytic surface for improving ammonia production from electrochemical nitrogen reduction” is accepted in Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. Congratulations to all! 
  • Our paper entitled “Phenolic-modified cationic polymer a coagulants for microplastic removal” is accepted in Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Well done! 

April

  • Our project entitled “PFI-RP: Novel coated geotextile to enhance water drainage from soil” is awarded NSF support. 

May

  • Our paper entitled “Incorporation of Novel Graphene Nanosheet Materials as Cathode Catalysts in Li-O2 Battery” is accepted in Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage. Well done! 
  • Dr. Kwon is awarded International Affairs Faculty Research Travel Award. 

June 

  • Dr. Kwon gave a presentation at Global Conference on Innovation Materials 2023.  
  • Dr. Kwon gave a talk at the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering of UNIST (Ulsan, Korea).  

July

  • Our project entitled “REU Supplement: PFI-RP: Novel coated geotextile to enhance water drainage from soil” is awarded NSF support. 
  • Dr. Kwon gave an invited talk at the Department of Biomaterial Science in Pusan National University (Busan, Korea).

January

  • Vahid and Hunter joined the group. Welcome guys!

March

  • Dr. Kwon gave an invited talk at the Department of Industrial Engineering Seminar (Kansas State University).
  • Dr. Kwon gave a talk “Water-responsive self-repairing superomniphobic surfaces via regeneration of hierarchical topography” at the ACS Spring 2022 Meeting (San Diego, CA).
  • Bishwash successfully passed a doctoral comprehensive exam. Well done!

April

  • Our project entitled “All-in-one electrode assembly for single step electrochemical conversion of CO2 and in-situ collection of the produced alcohols” is awarded KU Research GO funds. 
  • Our paper entitled “Frost delay of water-absorbing surface with engineered wettability via non-freezing water” is accepted in Langmuir. Great work  Bishwash and Amin!

May

  • Bishwash successfully defended his dissertation titled “Modulation of solid-liquid interaction for removal of dissolved and suspended contaminants from water“. Congratulations Dr. Shrestha!
  • Dr. Kwon is awarded Bellows Faculty Scholar Award. 

July

  • Antonio Carcamo joined the group as an undergraduate researcher through KUEST-Bridge program. Welcome! 
  • Dhiren Narne joined the group as a high school summer intern. Welcome!  

August

  • Our alum Amin (former PhD student) starts his new position of tenure-track Assistant Professor in Georgia Southern University. Wish you the best luck!  
  • Our alum Bishwash (former PhD student) starts his new position of Portland Technology Development (PTD) engineer at Intel. Congratulations and good luck! 
  • Dr. Kwon gave an invited presentation at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering Seminar in Seoul National University.  

September

  • Harshit Gandhi and Titiksha Sharma joined the group as Master students. Welcome! 
  • Davis Nguyen joined the team as an undergraduate resaercher. Welcome!   

October 

  • Gahee Im joined the group from Simon Fraser University. Welcome! 
  • Dr. Kwon gave an invited presentation at the ACS Midwest Regional Meeting. 

November

  • Dr. Kwon gave two presentations at 2022 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit.
 

January

  •  Dr. Kwon gave a talk at the Bureau of Reclamation-Desalination and Water Purification session.

March

  • Dr. Kwon gave a talk at the Materials Science and Engineering Department seminar of Chonnam National University (Republic of Korea).

April

  • Dr. Kwon was awarded the 6th Hanwha Non-Tenure Award. Great job!
  • Amin successfully passed the Doctoral Comprehensive Exam. Well done! 

May

  • Bishwash’s work on Engineered Nanoparticles with Decoupled Photocatalysis and Wettability for Membrane-based Desalination and Separation of Oil-Saline Water Mixtures is published in Nanomaterials. Fantastic!

June

  • Dr. Kwon gave a talk at the Hanwha Corp. Seminar. 
  • The Kwon group hosted two science teachers (Becky and Bailey) in the lab as a part of NSF RET: ECO-WaTER program. Welcome!

July

  • Amin’s work on Lower Critical Solution Temperature-Driven Catch and Release of Perfluoroalkyl Substances from Water: Remediation and Sampling is published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials. Great job!

August

  • Amin and Bishwash gave talks on their work at the 262nd ACS National Fall Meeting. Well done!
  • Dr. Kwon gave a talk at the Young Scientist Workshop of Seoul National University.

September

  • Amin’s work on Water-Responsive Self-Repairing Superomniphobic Surfaces via Regeneration of Hierarchical Topography is published in ACS Materials Au. Excellent!

October

  • The Kwon group attended the ACS Midwest Regional Meeting in Springfield, MO. Amin, Bishwash, Titiksha, and Harshit presented their work. Great work! 
  • Bishwash’s work on Reversible adsorption and desorption of PFAS on inexpensive graphite adsorbents via alternating electric field is published in RSC Advances. Nicely done Bishwash!
  • Bishwash’s work on Predicting kinetics of water‑rich permeate flux through photocatalytic mesh under visible light illumination is published in Scientific Reports. Congrats!
  • is published in RSC Advances. Nicely done Bishwash!
  • Our collaborative paper entitled Ammonium Ion Enhanced V2O5-WO3/TiO2 Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction with Ammonia is published in Nanomaterials. Congrats!

November

  • Amin and Bishwash presented their work at the AIChe National Fall Meeting. Excellent! 
  • Bishwash’s work on Delamination-Free In-Air and Underwater Oil-Repellent Filters for Oil-Water Separation: Gravity-Driven and Cross-Flow Operations is published in Energies. Great job!
  • Dr. Kwon gave a talk at the International Conference on Fluid Flow and Thermal Sciences (ICFFTS).
  • Dr. Kwon’s work on the Continuous Liquid–Liquid Extraction and in-Situ Membrane Separation of Miscible Liquid Mixtures is published in Langmuir. Excellent!

December

  • Dr. Kwon gave a talk at World Water Forum. His proposed idea of Zero Liquid Discharge Desalination was selected as one of the top 10 innovative technologies. 
  • Amin successfully defended his dissertation titled “Functional Surfaces with Modulated Interfacial Properties and Liquid Wettability“. Congratulations and all the best Dr. Ezazi!