CEAT building

Seok-Jhin Kim, Ph.D.

Dr. Seok-Jhin Kim

Education

Research Engineer
Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering
University of Cincinnati, 2011

M. S., Chemical Engineering
Yonsei University, 2001

B. S., Chemical Engineering
Yonsei University, 1999

Major Areas of Interest

Membranes and Thin Films of Nanostructured Materials

Controlled-Pore-Size Membranes for Water Purification and Gas Separation

Gas Transport and Diffusion Study in Modified-Pore Membranes

Recent Research Activities

Our main interest is in the science and technology of inorganic membranes and thin films of nanoporous membranes (zeolite, silica, metal organic framework, and graphene oxide). Our research program is aimed at addressing key fundamental issues that will allow the development of cost-effective and energy-saving membranes for uses such as water purification (produced water treatment and desalination) and chemical separations.

Overall, the program will provide novel molecular engineering concepts for usefully controlling pore structure in the membranes. We develop the overarching concept of precisely controlled pore modification of the membranes based upon strategies that involve catalytic cracking deposition (CCD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), sol-gel methods, and spacer techniques.

Subsequently, we will particularly focus on novel strategies based upon new understanding of molecular diffusion in modified-pore materials and membranes. Hence, these fundamental works will contribute to the development of membrane-based systems for industrial applications in clean and sustainable energy technologies.

Publications

2022

M.A. Miranda, A. Ghosh, G. Mahmodi, S. Xie, M. Shaw, S.-J. Kim, M.J. Krzmarzick, D.J. Lampert, C.P. Aichele, Treatment and Recovery of High-Value Elements from Produced Water, Water. 14 (2022) 880. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14060880
H.J. Yu, C.-H. Chan, S.Y. Nam, S.-J. Kim, J.S. Yoo, J.S. Lee, Thermally cross-linked ultra-robust membranes for plasticization resistance and permeation enhancement–A combined theoretical and experimental study, J. Membr, Sci. 646 (2022) 120250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2021.120250
Mahmodi, A. Rontea, S. Dangwal, P. Wagle, E. Echeverria, B. Sengupta, V. Vatanpour , D. N. Mcllroy, J. D. Ramsey, S.-J. Kim, Improving Antifouling Property of Alumina Microfiltration Membranes by Using Atomic Layer Deposition Technique for Produced Water Treatment, Desalination, 523 (2022) 115400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2021.115400

2021

S. Dangwal, A. Ronte, G. Mahmodi, P. Zarrintaj, J. S. Lee, M. R. Saeb, H. G. Fahlenkampa, S.-J. Kim, Propane Dehydrogenation Reaction in High Pressure Zeolite Membrane Reactor. Energy & Fuels. 35 (2021) 19362-19373. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.1c02473
J.A. Bush, J. Vanneste, D. Leavitt, J. Bergida, M. Krzmarzick, S.-J. Kim, C. Ny, T.Y. Cath, Membrane Distillation Crystallization of Ammonium Nitrate Solutions to Enable Sustainable Cold Storage: Electrical Conductivity as an In-situ Saturation Indicator, J. Membr, Sci. 631 (2021) 119321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119321
S. Dangwal, A. Ronte, H. Lin, R. Liu, J. Zhu, J.S. Lee, H. Gappa-Fahlenkamp, S.-J. Kim, ZIF-8 Membranes Supported on Silicalite-seeded Substrates for Propylene/propane Separation, J. Membr, Sci. 626 (2021) 119165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119165
M.R. Ganjali, M.A.A. Naqshabandi, B. Larijani, A. Badiei, V. Vatanpour, H.R. Rajabi, H. Rezania, S. Paziresh, G. Mahmodi, S.-J. Kim, M.R. Saeb, Improvement of Dye and Protein Filtration Efficiency Using Modified PES Membrane with 2-mercaptoethanol Capped Zinc Sulfide Quantum Dots, Chem. Eng. Res. Des., 168 (2021) 109-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2020.12.026

2020

P. Zarrintaj, G. Mahmodi, S. Manouchehri, A.H. Mashhadzadeh, M. Khodadadi, M. Servatan, M.R. Ganjali, B. Azambre, S.-J. Kim, J.D. Ramsey, S. Habibzadeh, M. R. Saeb, and M. Mozafari, Zeolite in tissue engineering: Opportunities and challenges, MedComm. (2020), https://doi.org/10.1002/mco2.5
S. Gaikwad, S.-J. Kim and S. Han, Novel metal–organic framework of UTSA-16 (Zn) synthesized by a microwave method: Outstanding performance for CO2 capture with improved stability to acid gases, J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 277 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2020.04.015
M. R. Ganjali, M. A. Al‐Naqshabandi, B. Larijani, A. Badiei, H. R. Rajabi, H. Rezania, S. Paziresh, G. Mahmodi, S.-J. Kim, M. R. Saeb, V. Vatanpour, Zinc sulfide quantum dots for membrane-based water treatment: Applications for dye and protein nanofiltration with declined antifouling. (under review)
D. A. Yazdi, S. S. M. Khadem, H. Saeidi, M. Jouyandeh, M. K. Yazdi, R. Khalili, P. Zarrintaj, M. R. Ganjali, G. Mahmodi, S.-J. Kim, M. R. Saeb, Climate change beyond revivifying hypersaline lakes: The lake Urmia as a case Science of the Total Environment. (under review)
S.-J. Kim and D. J. Lampert, Provisional Patent (62/741,749), Zeolite-coated Mesh for Oil-water separation. (under filing)
M. Servatan, P. Zarrintaj, G. Mahmodi, M. R. Ganjali, S.-J. Kim, M. R. Saeb, M. Mozafari, Zeolites in Drug Delivery: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities. Drug Discov. Today, (2020) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2020.02.005
G. Mahmodi, S. Dangwal, P. Zarrintaj, M. Zhu, Y. Mao, D.N. Mcllroy, M.R. Saeb, V. Vatanpour, J.D. Ramsey, S.-J. Kim, NaA Zeolite-Coated Meshes with Tunable Hydrophilicity for Oil-Water Separation. Sep. Purif. Technol., 240 (2020) 116630, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2020.116630
G. Mahmodi, P. Zarrintaj, N. M. Ghalehlari, S. Dangwal, A. Ronte, M. R. Ganjali, S. M. Hamad, S.-J. Kim, M. R. Saeb, From Microporous to Mesoporous Mineral Frameworks: An Alliance between Zeolite and Chitosan. Carbohydr. Res., 489 (2020) 107930, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carres.2020.107930

2019

Z. Karami, S. M. Hamad, M. R. Ganjali, V. Akbari, H. Vahabi, S.-J. Kim, P. Zarrintaj, M. R. Saeb, Nonisothermal cure kinetics of epoxy/ZnxFe₃-xO₄ nanocomposites, Progress in Organic Coatings, https://doi.org/10/1016/j.porgcoat.2019.105290
J.H. Shin, H.J. Yu, J. Park, A.S. Lee, S.S. Hwang, S.-J. Kim, S. Park, W. Won, J.S. Lee, Fluorine-containing polyimide/polysilsesquioxane carbon molecular sieve membranas, and techno-economic evaluation thereof for C₃H₆/C₃H₈ separation, J. Membr, Sci. (In press). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117660
S. Dangwal, R. Liu, L. D. Bastatas, E. Echeverria, C. Huang, Y. Mao, D. N. Mcllroy, S.-J. Kim, ZnO Microfiltration Membranes for Desalination by a Vacuum Flow-Through Evaporation Method. Membranes 9(12) (2019), 156 https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120156
S. Dangwal, R. Liu, S. Gaikwad, S. Han, S.-J. Kim, Zeolite Membrane Reactor for High-Temperature Isobutane Dehydrogenation Reaction: Experimental and Modeling Studies. Chem. Eng. Process. Process Intensif. 142 (2019) pp. 107583 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cep.2019.107583
S. Gaikwad, S.-J. Kim and S. Han, CO₂ Capture using Amine Functionalized Bimetallic MIL-101 with Stability Study on Humid Air and Acid Gases, Micropor. Mesopor. Mater. 277 (2019), pp. 253-260 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2018.11.001
F. Rashidi, J. Leisen, S.-J. Kim, A. A. Rownaghi, C. W. Jones, S. Nair, All-Nanoporous Hybrid Membranes: Redefining Upper Limits on Molecular Separation Properties. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 131 (2019), pp. 242-245 https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.201811629

2018

R. Liu, Y.R. A.K. Yegya, I. Shaik, C. Aichele, S.-J. Kim, Inorganic Microfiltration Membranes Incorporated with Hydrophilic Silica Nanoparticles for Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation. J. Water Process Eng., 26 (2018), pp. 124-130 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2018.10.002
H. Lin, R. Liu, S. Dangwal, S.-J. Kim, N. Mehra, Y. Li, J. Zhu, Permselective H₂/CO₂ Separation and Desalination of Hybrid GO/rGO Membranes with Controlled Pre-crosslinking. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 10 (2018) 28166-28175. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.8b05296
H. Lin, S. Dangwal, R. Liu, S.-J. Kim, Y. Li, J. Zhu, Reduced Wrinkling in GO Membrane by Grafting Basal-plane Groups for Improved Gas and Liquid Separations. J. Membr, Sci. 563 (2018) 336-344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2018.05.073
R. Liu, S. Young, S. Dangwal, I. Shaik, E. Echeverria, D. McIlroy, C. Aichele, S.-J. Kim, Boron-introduced MFI-type zeolite-coated mesh for oil-water separation. Colloids Surf., A. 550 (2018) 108-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2018.04.038
S. Dangwal, R. Liu, S.V. Kirk, S.-J. Kim, Effect of Pressure on Ethane Dehydrogenation in MFI Zeolite Membrane Reactor. Energy & Fuels. 32 (2018) 4628-4637 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b03442
R. Liu, S. Dangwal, I. Shaik, C. Aichele, S.-J. Kim, Hydrophilicity-controlled MFI-type zeolite-coated mesh for oil/water separation, Sep. Purif. Technol., 195 (2018) 163-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2017.11.064

2017

S. Nair, J. G. Pendergast, C. W. Jones, S.-J. Kim, J. S. Moore, Y. Liu, R. S. Dixit, Fabrication of micron-thin, selective, sapo-34 zeolite membranes with enhanced gas permeance, U.S. Patent No. WO2017156139A1 (2017)
S. Dangwal, R. Liu, S.-J. Kim, High Temperature Ethane Dehydrogenation in Microporous Zeolite Membrane Reactor: Effect of Operating Conditions, Chem. Eng. J. 328 (2017) 862–872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2017.07.108

2016

S.-J. Kim, S. Tan, M. Taborga Claura, L. Briones Gil, K. More, Y. Liu, J. S. Moore, R. S. Dixit, D. S. Sholl, C. W. Jones, S. Nair, One-Step Synthesis of Zeolite Membranes Containing Catalytic Metal Nanoclusters. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 8 (2016) 24671-24681.
S.-J. Kim, Y. Liu, J. S. Moore, R. S. Dixit, J. G. Pendergast Jr., D. S. Sholl, C. W. Jones, S. Nair, Enhanced Conversion and Selectivity in Propane Dehydrogenation Membrane Reactors via Thin Hydrogen-Selective SAPO-34 Zeolite Membranes. Chem. Mater., 28 (2016) 4397-4402.
S. Tan, S.-J. Kim, J. S. Moore, Y. Liu, R. S. Dixit, J. G. Pendergast, D. S. Sholl, S. Nair, C. W. Jones, Propane Dehydrogenation over In₂O₃-Ga₂O₃-Al₂O₃ Mixed Oxides, ChemCatChem, 8 (2016) 214-221.

2015

S.-J. Kim, C. W. Jones, S. Nair, Y. Liu, S. Sarsani, R. S. Dixit, J. G. Pendergast, Ion Exchange of Zeolite Membranes by a Vacuum ‘Flow-Through’ Technique. Micropor. Mesopor. Mater. 203 (2015) 170-177.
S. Nair, S.-J. Kim, Y. Liu, J. G. Pendergast, R. S. Dixit, J. S. Moore, Vacuum-assisted process for preparing an ion-exchanged zeolite membrane, U.S. Patent No. WO2014182430 A1 (2015)

2013

S.-J. Kim, S. Yang, G. K. Reddy, P. Smirniotis, J. Dong, Zeolite Membrane Reactor for High Temperature Water Gas Shift Reaction: Effects of Membrane Properties and Operating Conditions. Energy & Fuels 27 (2013) 4471-4480.

2012

S.-J. Kim, Z. Xu, G.K. Reddy, P. Smirniotis, J. Dong, Effect of Pressure on High Temperature Water Gas Shift Reaction in Microporous Zeolite Membrane Reactor. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 51 (2012) 1364-1375.
G. K. Reddy, S.-J. Kim, J. Dong, J. Jasinski, P. Smirniotis, Long-term WGS stability of Fe/Ce and Fe/Ce/Cr catalysts at high and low steam to CO ratios - XPS and Mössbauer spectroscopic. Appl. Catal., A: Gen 415 (2012) 101-110.

2010

Z. Tang, S.-J. Kim, J. Dong, G. K. Reddy, P. Smirniotis, Modified Zeolite Membrane Reactor for High Temperature Water Gas Shift Reaction. J. Membr. Sci. 354 (2010) 114–122.

2009

Z. Tang, S.-J. Kim, X. Gu, J. Dong, Microwave Synthesis of MFI-Type Zeolite Membranes by Seeded Secondary Growth without the Use of Organic Structure Directing Agents. Micropor. Mesopor. Mater. 118 (2009) 224-231.