Organic, Inorganic, Hybrid, and Bio Materials Research at Sungkyunkwan University (2019)

This special issue features 4 Reviews and 13 Progress Reports by professors at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) and covers various topics of great interest in the field of material science. SKKU was founded at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty in 1398 as the highest national educational institute in Korea. As the oldest university in East Asia, it has fostered leaders of society for over 600 years. SKKU has a total 26 602 undergraduate students and 1459 faculty members on the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus (Seoul) and the Natural Sciences Campus (Suwon). The Natural Sciences Campus is the center of research and development of SKKU, with 1019 faculty members and 716 researchers in 55 departments. The College of Engineering, College of Science, the School of Pharmacy, the College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, and the College of Information and Communication Engineering are located on the Natural Sciences Campus for collaborative and interactive research and development. The research fund of SKKU is more than $400 million and funds 8 large research centers in the fields of basic science, engineering, and medicine. Among the $400 million research fund, $90 million is funded by industry through collaboration. Currently, SKKU is ranked 82nd in the world university ranking by The Times Higher Education and 39th in the world renovation ranking by Reuters. In particular, the College of Engineering is ranked 47th worldwide by The Times Higher Education. Moreover, several creative convergence departments such as data science, biomedical engineering, convergent life science, digital health, and smart factory are leading their research fields. SKKU has grown as a global leading university in research and development and has gained a good reputation as a research-and-development-oriented university through remarkable scientific achievements. SKKU faculty members and researchers have published more than 5000 SCI papers per year, and state-of-the-art research results have been published in top-rated scientific journals such as Nature, Science, Nature Materials, and Advanced Materials. In particular, SKKU is a leader in material science research such as perovskite materials, nanomaterials, biomimetic materials, energy materials, and organic electronic materials. The 17 papers in this special issue comprehensively cover the material science area led by the SKKU faculty members in the School of Chemical Engineering, School of Material Science, Department of Physics, and SKKU Advanced Institute Nanotechnology. In the field of display and semiconductor materials, Prof. Jun Yeob Lee discusses recent progress and development of singlet-exciton-harvesting fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes through an energy-transfer process (article number 1803714), and Prof. Kyoung Soo Yook highlights the recent progress of device lifetime in thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes along with various approaches to upgrade the lifetime of these devices (article number 1803524). Prof. Heeyeop Chae outlines the challenging issues of quantum-dot stability, quantum-dot films, and quantum-dot light-emitting diodes, and proposes the future prospects of quantum-dot-based display technologies along with associated lifetime-extending strategies (article number 1804294). Prof. Dongmok Whang reports a direct growth method and application of graphene as a group-IV elementary semiconductor (article number 1803469). In the field of nanomaterials, Prof. Chan-Hwa Chung reviews layered inorganic nanomaterials for use as chemical sensors based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (article number 1803432). Prof. Jae Hyung Park highlights hyaluronic-acid-based nanomaterials, capable of being activated by disease-specific stimuli, for both diagnostic imaging and therapeutic delivery, going beyond merely the classical targeting of CD44 (article number 1803549). In the field of biological materials, Prof. Changhyun Pang reviews recent advances in biologically inspired adhesive architectures, such as geometric and material features, fabrication methods, and various medical applications from skin patches for wound protection to integrated bioelectronics with diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities (article number 1803309). Prof. Jaeyun Kim summarizes mesoporous silica research in cancer immunotherapies via delivery of antigens and immune-stimulatory molecules to antigen-presenting cells (e.g., dendritic cells) to provoke antigen-specific immune responses for treatment of cancer (article number 1803953). Prof. Yong Taik Lim highlights recent developments of nanobiomaterials that are rationally designed to modulate the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in a spatiotemporal manner for enhanced cancer immunotherapy (article number 1803322). Prof. Pil Jin Yoo highlights recent developments in the design of lightweight cellular materials, according to structural interconnectivity and architecture (article number 1803670). Additionally, recent advances in bioinspired electronics that can function as potential artificial sensory systems, including prostheses and humanoid robots are reviewed by Prof. Tae-il Kim (article number 1803637). In the field of energy materials, Prof. Ho Seok Park and Prof. Jun Young Lee comprehensively review the key aspects of carbon materials for a rational design of their structure and chemistry for electrochemical applications in sodium-ion batteries, sodium-ion capacitors, and capacitive deionization (article number 1803444). Prof. Nam-Gyu Park describes current–voltage hysteresis behavior in perovskite solar cells depending on perovskite composition and device structure and discusses potassium doping as a universal approach to reduce or eliminate current–voltage hysteresis (article number 1805214). Prof. Sang Woo Kim's Progress Report elaborates on the recent progress in mechanical, thermal, and photovoltaic hybrid energy harvesters for sustainable energy harvesting (article number 1802898). Recent advances in the direct synthesis of value-added aromatic chemicals from syngas by cascade reactions over bifunctional catalysts are reviewed by Prof. Jong Woo Bae's (article number 1903390). 2D materials are discussed by Prof. Woo Seok Choi and Prof. Dongseok Suh, who summarize the exciting field of heterostructures composed of 2D layered materials and complex oxides (article number 1803732). They show that a synergy in the heterostructures leads to emerging physical and chemical properties that are not accessible in the single material alone. Prof. Jeong Ho Cho provides a comprehensive review of emerging 2D organic heterostructures – from synthesis and fabrication to state-of-the-art optoelectronic applications – and highlight the future challenges and opportunities associated with these heterostructures (article number 1803831). Although this special issue features multidisciplinary research topics in the field of organic, inorganic, hybrid, and bio materials, it is not possible to cover all of the research areas of material science at SKKU in this single issue of Advanced Materials. However, the Reviews and Progress Reports in this issue address the key aspects of interdisciplinary material science, and may motivate other researchers to explore breakthroughs in the field of materials. Finally, I appreciate Deputy Editor Dr. Duoduo Liang and Editor-in-Chief Peter Gregory for providing SKKU faculty members an opportunity to publish this special issue.