The story of a Korean female researcher, co-authoring Science journal article has made headlines around the world. Dr. Jieun Yang, an alumna of UNIST is part of an international team that has discovered a simple new method for producing large quantities of the promising nanomaterial graphene.
In the study, the research team proved that it is now possible to produce high quality graphene, using a microwave oven. The team reports that this new technique may have solved some of graphene’s difficult manufacturing problems and will promote the mass commercialization of graphene.
Dr. Yang and colleagues, which include Prof. Hyeon Suk Shin (School of Natural Science, UNIST) and Prof. Hu Young Jeon (UNIST Center for Research Facilities, UNIST), report the discovery in the September issue of the prestigious journal Science.
This work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Rutgers Energy Institute, U.S. Department of Education and Rutgers Aresty Research Assistant Program.
Dr. Yang was born and brought up in Ulsan, South Korea. After high school, Dr. Yang moved to Seoul, where she completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Kyung Hee University. In 2009, she returned to Ulsan to start her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Hyeon Suk Shin at UNIST. Dr. Yang is currently working as a post-doctoral associate in Chhowalla’s group at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States. Her scientific interests are focused on the synthesis, characterization, and application of 2D materials, which include Graphene, h-BN, and MoS2.
Dr. Yang states, “I took the admission test in 2008 before UNIST was even founded,” says Dr. Yang. “Joining UNIST was one of the greatest adventures, yet one of the best decisions I made in my life.”
“Not only was Dr. Yang an excellent and hard-working student, but she was extremely professional in her every day responsibilities,” says her PhD advisor, Prof. Hyeon Suk Shin. “Many talented students from Ulsan return home and are growing to be leading researchers, thanks to UNIST.”
Journal Reference
Damien Voiry, Jieun Yang, Jacob Kupferberg, Raymond Fullon, Calvin Lee, Hu Young Jeong, Hyeon Suk Shin, and Manish Chhowalla, “High-quality graphene via microwave reduction of solution-exfoliated graphene oxide”, Science, (2016).
