Jeewoo Lim

Department of Chemistry, Kyung Hee University,

Hosted by: Brett VanVeller

**Organic/Polymer**

Abstract:

Design, Synthesis, and Properties of Sulfur-Containing Polymers

            The advent of polycarbonate lenses in the early 1980s marked the beginning of polymeric materials (plastics) gradually supplanting inorganic materials in various applications, notably in ophthalmic lenses and camera components. The ease of processing polymeric materials, as opposed to glass and other inorganic counterparts, continues to be a significant motivator for ongoing research and development aimed at enhancing the optical and thermomechanical properties of polymers. A key strategy for improving the optical characteristics of polymeric materials involves incorporating sulfur and sulfur-containing functional groups, where a higher sulfur content generally results in a higher refractive index. Recent research has explored the use of elemental sulfur as a direct precursor in the synthesis of optical polymers with significantly higher refractive indices compared to conventional optical polymers. An increase in sulfur content, however, often lead to reduced glass transition temperature and mechanical strength, posing a significant challenge in the development of plastic optics. This seminar will discuss the recent efforts by our group in overcoming these obstacles to create sulfur-containing polymers with superior optical and thermomechanical properties.

Bio:

            Jeewoo Lim completed his Ph.D. studies in chemistry under the direction of Prof. Timothy M. Swager at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2011. After serving as a technical research personnel in the ROK(Republic of Korea) Army and working as a senior researcher at Samsung-Total Petrochemicals (now Hanwha TotalEnergies Petrochemical), he joined Prof. Kookheon Char’s research group at Seoul National University School of Chemical Biological Engineering. In 2017, he joined Kyung Hee University Department of Chemistry where he is currently an Associate Professor. Jeewoo Lim’s research interests include low dielectric materials, high sulfur-content polymers, and photoinduced polymer solubility modulation.