Faculty

Seong Kim

Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

N323 Millennium Science Complex
University Park, PA

Email shk10@psu.edu
Phone 814-863-4809

Areas of Expertise

Sum Frequency Generation Keyphrases
Silicon Material Science
Sum-frequency Generation Spectroscopy Keyphrases
Friction Keyphrases
Polymer Material Science
Film Material Science
Glass Surface Keyphrases
Cellulose Keyphrases

Metallic catalyst loaded 2D perovskite sheets for heightened surface activity for selective chemiresistive sensing
Ahrom Ryu, Jung Won An, Yu Sheng Li, Gwang Su Kim, Haena Yim, Ho Won Jang, Sahn Nahm, Ji Soo Jang, Seong H. Kim, Ji Won Choi, Jun 15 2026, In: Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical
Date: Jun 15 2026

Mechanochemistry Activated by Confinement- and Shear-Induced Molecular Distortion
Sourabh Kumar, Seong H. Kim, Ashlie Martini, Mar 25 2026, In: Chemical Reviews
Date: Mar 25 2026

Adventitious carbon breaks symmetry in oxide contact electrification
Galien Grosjean, Markus Ostermann, Markus Sauer, Michael Hahn, Christian M. Pichler, Florian Fahrnberger, Felix Pertl, Daniel M. Balazs, Mason M. Link, Seong H. Kim, Devin L. Schrader, Adriana Blanco, Francisco Gracia, Nicolás Mujica, Scott R. Waitukaitis, Mar 19 2026, In: Nature
Date: Mar 19 2026

Microfibril orientation and compositional heterogeneity in fiber and vessel cell walls of poplar xylem studied by AFM-IR and SFG spectroscopy
Jongcheol Lee, Juseok Choi, Yen Ting Lin, Fangxin Qian, Botong Tong, Quanzi Li, Seong H. Kim, Mar 2026, In: Planta
Date: Mar 2026

Comparison of Tribological Performance of Ashless Sulfur-Free Phosphite Ester Versus ZDDP Additives at Electrified Interfaces
Nahian Siddique, Yu Sheng Li, Fangxin Qian, Ruichuan Yuan, Bahareh Kheilnezhad, Seong H. Kim, Xin He, Feb 2026, In: Lubricants
Date: Feb 2026

Polarizable Thiol–Ene Cross-Linked Nitrile Dielectrics for Stretchable Low-Voltage Neuromorphic Transistors with Acoustic Classification
Chang Jing Liu, Shu Wei Hsiao, Qun Gao Chen, Qi An Hong, Yen Ting Lin, Chu Chen Chueh, Chan Tat Ng, Ting Ting Chang, Seong H. Kim, Yu Cheng Chiu, Wen Ya Lee, Jan 14 2026, In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Date: Jan 14 2026

On the structural role of indium in aluminoborosilicate glasses
Amir Ashjari, Randall E. Youngman, Henrik Bradtmüller, Andrew Ogrinc, Ricardo F. Lancelotti, Myungkoo Kang, Seong H. Kim, Doris Möncke, Jan 1 2026, In: Acta Materialia
Date: Jan 1 2026

Viscosity Measurement Techniques for High-Temperature Oxide Glass-Forming Systems
Bahareh Kheilnezhad, Maziar Montazerian, Seong H. Kim, John C. Mauro, Jan 2026, In: International Journal of Ceramic Engineering and Science
Date: Jan 2026

Giant energy storage and dielectric performance in all-polymer nanocomposites
Li Li, Guanchun Rui, Wenyi Zhu, Yiwen Guo, Zitan Huang, Siyu Wu, Riccardo Casalini, Qing Wang, Zi Kui Liu, Ralph H. Colby, Seong H. Kim, Wenchang Lu, J. Bernholc, Q. M. Zhang, 2026, In: Nature
Date: 2026

Plant Cell Wall-Like Soft Materials
Roya Koshani, Mica L. Pitcher, Jingyi Yu, Christine L. Mahajan, Seong Kim, Amir Sheikhi, Dec 2025, In: Nano-Micro Letters
Date: Dec 2025

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Polymer–inorganic solid–electrolyte interphase for stable lithium metal batteries under lean electrolyte conditions
Yue Gao, Zhifei Yan, Jennifer L. Gray, Xin He, Daiwei Wang, Tianhang Chen, Qingquan Huang, Yuguang C. Li, Haiying Wang, Seong H. Kim, Thomas E. Mallouk, Donghai Wang, Apr 1 2019, In: Nature Materials
Citations: 762

Evolution of the adsorbed water layer structure on silicon oxide at room temperature
David B. Asay, Seong Kim, Sep 8 2005, In: Journal of Physical Chemistry B
Citations: 703

Nanotribology and MEMS
Seong H. Kim, David B. Asay, Michael T. Dugger, Oct 2007, In: Nano Today
Citations: 401

Effects of ball milling on the structure of cotton cellulose
Zhe Ling, Tuo Wang, Mohamadamin Makarem, Michael Santiago Cintrón, H. N. Cheng, Xue Kang, Markus Bacher, Antje Potthast, Thomas Rosenau, Holly King, Christopher D. Delhom, Sunghyun Nam, J. Vincent Edwards, Seong H. Kim, Feng Xu, Alfred D. French, Jan 1 2019, In: Cellulose
Citations: 390

Organosulfide-plasticized solid-electrolyte interphase layer enables stable lithium metal anodes for long-cycle lithium-sulfur batteries
Guoxing Li, Yue Gao, Xin He, Qingquan Huang, Shuru Chen, Seong H. Kim, Donghai Wang, Dec 1 2017, In: Nature communications
Citations: 305

Hydrogen-Bonding Network and OH Stretch Vibration of Cellulose
Christopher M. Lee, James D. Kubicki, Bingxin Fan, Linghao Zhong, Michael C. Jarvis, Seong H. Kim, Dec 10 2015, In: Journal of Physical Chemistry B
Citations: 265

A comparative review of the aqueous corrosion of glasses, crystalline ceramics, and metals
Gerald S. Frankel, John D. Vienna, Jie Lian, John R. Scully, Stephane Gin, Joseph V. Ryan, Jianwei Wang, Seong H. Kim, Wolfgang Windl, Jincheng Du, Dec 2018, In: npj Materials Degradation
Citations: 264

High-temperature polymers with record-high breakdown strength enabled by rationally designed chain-packing behavior in blends
Qiyan Zhang, Xin Chen, Bing Zhang, Tian Zhang, Wengchang Lu, Zhe Chen, Ziyu Liu, Seong H. Kim, Brian Donovan, Ronald J. Warzoha, Enrique D. Gomez, J. Bernholc, Q. M. Zhang, Jul 7 2021, In: Matter
Citations: 251

Probing cellulose structures with vibrational spectroscopy
Mohamadamin Makarem, Christopher M. Lee, Kabindra Kafle, Shixin Huang, Inseok Chae, Hui Yang, James D. Kubicki, Seong H. Kim, Jan 1 2019, In: Cellulose
Citations: 241

Raman spectroscopy analysis of disordered and amorphous carbon materials
Ruichuan Yuan, Yiwen Guo, Ilke Gurgan, Nahian Siddique, Yu Sheng Li, Seokhoon Jang, Gina Noh, Seong H. Kim, May 5 2025, In: Carbon
Citations: 238

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Centers & Institutes

Center for Biorenewables

Elsevier Pure Profile

Schematic illustration of the atomic force microscopy-based (AFM) nanoscale friction test setup. A silicon AFM probe (covered with native oxide) slides on the graphite (0001) basal plane. The normal load between the silicon tip and the graphite surface is applied via bending the cantilever. While the probe is moving along the red arrows, the cantilever twists due to the friction force at the contact point between the silicon tip and the graphite surface. The degree of the twisting reflects the magnitude of the friction force. Gas molecules impinging from the environmental phase adsorb to the silicon tip surface and influence the interfacial friction. Credit: Elizabeth Flores-Gomez Murray, Penn State, and Zhe Chen, Zhejiang University. All Rights Reserved.

January 09, 2023

Seong Kim

Areas of Expertise

Humidity may be the key to super-lubricity 'switch'

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