[[연수 소감]]

글 :  최지훈

Greetings, I am Jihoon Choi, a graduate student in the 8th semester of the combined master's and doctoral program within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. I had the privilege of serving as a visiting researcher at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in the United States from March 2023 to the end of August 2023, thanks to the BK long-term overseas training program. In this article, I will share my research impressions and insights gained during this enriching experience.

Research Focus:

My current research revolves around the field of hydrogen production through water splitting using solar energy. During my time at UPenn, I had the opportunity to work alongside Professor Eric A. Stach's group, a renowned electron microscopy research team specializing in the analysis of energy conversion materials.

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Expertise:

A key aspect of my training was acquiring expertise in Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Spherical Aberration Correction Scanning TEM (STEM). TEM analysis plays a pivotal role in materials engineering research, but it is often challenging to access outside specialized laboratories. Through this overseas experience, I spent over 100 hours working directly with TEM, significantly expanding my skill set. Notably, our research focused on in-situ TEM analysis, a technique limited to only a handful of laboratories. We employed a nano-scale 3-electrode chip to facilitate electrolyte flow, enabling us to investigate the growth and stability of nanomaterials through electrochemical reactions within a TEM holder. My work involved capturing images of the nanoparticle catalyst growth process during these electrochemical reactions.

Collaborative Efforts:

Collaboration was a cornerstone of my overseas experience. I partnered with a postdoctoral researcher from a fellow overseas laboratory within our organization. Together, we undertook a study aimed at achieving a highly uniform distribution of molecular catalysts at the single-atom level on a silicon substrate. Subsequently, we applied machine learning techniques to post-process TEM images, a cutting-edge approach actively explored within recent academic circles, to ascertain the distribution and size of single-atom catalysts.

My time at UPenn was invaluable in broadening my scientific horizons. I actively participated in cutting-edge research, leveraged state-of-the-art scientific equipment, attended meetings at renowned university laboratories, and delivered presentations, all of which contributed significantly to my academic and professional growth.