Advanced Functional Nanocomposite Materials and their Applications in High-Performance Physical/Chemical Sensing

Abstract: Extensive engineering nanomaterials and their composites have been synthesized and introduced over the last two decades for various applications. Among them, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), one-, two-, or three-dimensional crystalline structure materials consisting of metal cluster nodes and organic linkers, have attracted much attention due to their highly ordered nature, tunable pore volume, ultrahigh porosity, and the ability to tailor the frameworks’ chemical functionality by modifying the organic ligands. Over the last eight years, my research group has developed multiple MOFs and nanocomposite materials for physical and chemical sensing applications. Here, I will first introduce rapid and facile synthesis of MOFs and their composites on top of various sensing devices for gas/vapor sensing. In addition, chemical sensors based on colorimetric and fluorescent MOFs and other nanomaterials will be presented as cheap and rapid sensing platforms for the detection of trace amount of explosives, chemical warfare agents, and toxic ions in water. Lastly, MOF reinforced, high performance hydrogel or organohydrogel will be introduced and their applications as self-powered wearable strain/pressure sensors and triboelectric nanogenerators will be presented.

Keywords: Engineered nanomaterials, Nanocomposites, Physical Sensor, Chemical Sensor

Biography:

Bio: Dr. Seonghwan (Sam) Kim is a full Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair Laureate in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. He received his B.Sc. (1998) and M.Sc. (2000) degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, and his Ph.D. (2008) in Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, and an Acting Research Associate at the University of Alberta prior to joining the University of Calgary in 2013.

Address:United States