Materials Design and Process Engineering Laboratory
Jeong Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sogang University, South Korea
Embedded Files
Vision
Vision
Our group aims to advance a sustainable energy future through fundamental insights in materials design and process engineering. We integrate AI-driven computational modeling, automated experimentation, and data science approaches, such as graph neural networks and ontology-based knowledge graphs, to uncover the underlying thermodynamic and kinetic principles governing materials behavior and reactions. On the application side, our research focuses on interfacial design of electrolytes and electrodes for next-generation energy conversion and storage systems, as well as semiconductor technologies. If you are eager to immerse yourself in cutting-edge research, this is the right place for you.
Research
Research
1. Materials Design: AI-based Computation
Ex. 1: To overcome the limitation of current computational methods
Ex. 2: To accelerate materials discovery
Ex. 3: Battery materials design, including electrolytes and electrodes
Ex. 4: Prediction of battery interfacial reactivity and stability
2. Process Engineering: Semiconductor and Energy Applications
Ex. 1: Ion diffusion on semiconductor surfaces
Ex. 2: Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG)
Ex. 3: Ammonia decomposition catalysts for hydrogen energy
Ex. 4: High-performance fuel cell catalysts
Group
Group
Publications
Publications
In Progress
Myeongjae Heo, Heonjae Jeong*, "Component-Resolved Interfacial Chemistry of Molten-Salt Electrolytes on FeF₃ Cathodes: First-Principles Insights Beyond Eutectic Design", under review
Heonjae Jeong, Ian I. Suni, Raylin Chen, Grace McKnight, Elif Ertekin, Xiao Xu, Edmund G. Seebauer*, "Effects of Ultraviolet Photostimulation on Oxygen Interstitial Cluster Stability in Rutile TiO2", under review
Joohyeon Park, Myeongjae Heo, Heonjae Jeong*, "First-Principles Study of Dopant-Dependent Early-Stage LLZO/Li13Si4 Interfaces", under review
Myeongjae Heo, Joohyeon Park, Heonjae Jeong*, "Dopant Effects on LLZO/FeS2 Interface Adhesion", in preparation
Heonjae Jeong*, Christopher S. Johnson, "Surface Reactivity Modulation of Lithium Silicon Anode", in preparation
Juyoung Han, Heonjae Jeong*, "Electrolytes and Interfaces for Calcium-Ion Batteries: A Computational and Data-Driven Perspective", in preparation
Myeongjae Heo, Christopher S. Johnson*, Heonjae Jeong*, "Computational Perspectives on Li-Si Interface Reactions: From Atomic Mechanisms to Machine Learning Potentials", in preparation
Junghun Bae, Heonjae Jeong*, "Reductive Stability of Molten Salt Electrolytes on LiSi Anode in Thermal Batteries", in preparation
Seonwoo Choi, Heonjae Jeong*, "First-Principles Insights for Ammonia Cracking Mechanism on Nickel-Iron Alloy Catalysts", in preparation
Juyoung Han, Heonjae Jeong*, "Computational Study of Ammonia Cracking Mechanism on Nickel-Based Catalysts", in preparation
2025
Anton W. Tomich, Seoung-Bum Son, Joseph Quinn, Juyoung Han, Joseph Kubal, Vincent Lavallo*, Heonjae Jeong*, Christopher S. Johnson*, "A Reductively Stable Electrolyte Realizes Deep Cycling Behavior in Anode-Less Sodium Batteries", accepted in Adv. Energy Mater.
Bowen An, Yaxin Shen, Myeongjae Heo, Bomin Li, Siyuan Gao, André Taylor, Heonjae Jeong*, Christopher S. Johnson*, Yingwen Cheng* "Using light to enhance charge-transfer in battery materials: increasing charging rates in LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4", ACS Appl. Energy Mater., https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.5c02861.
Heonjae Jeong*, Christopher S. Johnson*, "Reactivity of Carbonate Solvent Electrolytes on Lithium Silicon Anode", ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces., 2025, 17, 39, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c08232
Hyungu Kang , Heesook Roh, Jongseo Lee , Sang Hyeon Park, Joohyeon Park, Heonjae Jeong, Hyun-Ki Yoon, Tae-Young Ahn*, Yu-song Choi*, "Comparative study of Ta and Ga doping effects on Li7La3Zr2O12 garnet electrolytes for advanced thermal battery applications", RSC Advances, 2025, 15, 27345, https://doi.org/10.1039/D5RA03917G
Jian Zhi Hu#*, Wenda Hu#, Heonjae Jeong#, Grant Alexander, Nguyen, Dan Thien, Venkateshkumar Prabhakaran, Kee Sung Han, Ying Chen, Jordi Cabana-Jimenez, Justin Connell, Lei Cheng, Vijayakumar Murugesan, Kevin R. Zavadil, and Karl T. Mueller*, "Thermal Decomposition Pathways of Bulk Electrolytes on Vanadium Oxide Nanocrystals", Energy Storage Mater., 2025, 79, 104315, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ensm.2025.104315, #equally contributed
Heonjae Jeong, Ian I. Suni, Raylin Chen, Marina Miletic, Xiao Su, Edmund G. Seebauer*, “Reactions of Fluid and Lattice Oxygen Mediated by Interstitial Atoms at the TiO2 (110)-Water Interface”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2025, 27, 9522-9536 https://doi.org/10.1039/D5CP00319A
2024
Xiaoting Fang#, Zhiguang Li#, Lifan Zeng, Heonjae Jeong, Diqing Yue, Lily A. Robertson, Yuyue Zhao, Lei Cheng, Ilya A. Shkrob*, Xiaoliang Wei*, Lu Zhang*, "Kinetic Control over Disproportionation Stabilizes Wurster’s Blue Catholyte for Nonaqueous Redox Flow Batteries", ACS Energy Lett., 2024, 9, 5737−5743, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.4c02449, #equally contributed
Heonjae Jeong#*, Haimeng Wang#, Lei Cheng, “Computational Prediction of Solvation Structure in Calcium Battery Electrolytes”, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TA06675H, #equally contributed
Chen Zhao#, Heonjae Jeong#, Inhui Hwang, Tianyi Li, Yang Wang, Jianming Bai, Luxi Li, Shiyuan Zhou, Chi-Cheung Su, Wenqian Xu, Zhenzhen Yang, Manar Almazrouei, Cheng-Jun Sun, Lei Cheng, Gui-Liang Xu*, Khalil Amine*, "Polysulfide-incompatible additive suppresses spatial reaction heterogeneity of Li-S batteries", Joule, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2024.09.004, #equally contributed
Heonjae Jeong, Edmund G. Seebauer*, “Influence of Interstitial Cluster Families on Post-Synthesis Defect Manipulation and Purification of Oxides using Submerged Surfaces”, Journal of Chemical Physics, 2024, 161, 121103, https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0230224.
Zhiguang Li, Heonjae Jeong, Xiaoting Fang, Yuyue Zhao, Jingjing Zang, Ilya A. Shkrob*, Xiaoliang Wei*, Lei Cheng, Lu Zhang*, "Multifaceted Effects of Ring Fusion in Charged Dialkoxyarene Redoxmers", J. Power Sources, 2024, 608, 234689, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2024.234689.
Noel J. Leon, Stefan Illic, Xiaowei Xie, Heonjae Jeong, Zhenzhen Yang, Bingning Wang, Evan Spotte-Smith, Charlotte Stern, Nathan Hahn, Kevin Zavadil, Lei Cheng, Kristin Persson, Justin Connell, Chen Liao*, "Design Principles and Routes for Calcium Alkoxyaluminate Electrolytes", J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2024, 15, 5096-5102, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00969.
Heonjae Jeong*, Lei Cheng, “Intercalation Mechanism of Solvated Magnesium Electrolytes on Spinel Cathode Surfaces”, J. Power Sources 2024, 602, 234227, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2024.234227.
Yuanyuan Ma, Yaxin Shen, Heonjae Jeong, Jason Lipton, Hang Wang, Stephen A. Maclean, Jason A. Rӧhr, Christopher S. Johnson*, André D. Taylor*, "Fast-charging Li4Ti5O12 anode driven by light", J. Electrochem. Soc., 2024, 171 (2), 020521, https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ad2592.
Dawei Xia, Heonjae Jeong, Dewen Hou, Lei Tao, Tianyi Li, Kristin Knight, Anyang Hu, Dennis Nordlund, Sami Sainio, Yuzi Liu, John R. Morris, Wenqian Xu, Haibo Huang, Luxi Li, Hui (Claire) Xiong, Lei Cheng*, Feng Lin*, "Self-terminating, Heterogeneous Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Enables Reversible Li-Ether Co-Intercalation in Graphite Anodes, PNAS, 2023, 121 (5), e2313096121, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2313096121.
Chuyi Xie#, Chen Zhao#, Heonjae Jeong, Qiang Liu, Tianyi Li, Wenqian Xu, Lei Cheng, Gui-Liang Xu*, Khalil Amine*, and Guohua Chen*, “Regulating Li Nucleation and Growth Heterogeneities viaNear-Surface Lithium-Ion Irrigation for Stable Anode-LessLithium Metal Batteries”, Small, 2024, 20(12), 2306868 https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202306868, #equally contributed
2023
Heonjae Jeong#, Dan-Thien Nguyen#, Yingjie Yang, D Bruce Buchholz, Guennadi A Evmenenko, Jinghua Guo, Feipeng Yang, Paul C. Redfern, Jian Zhi Hu, Karl T. Mueller, Robert Klie, Vijayakumar Murugesan, Justin Connell, Venkateshkumar Prabhakaran*, Lei Cheng*, “Reactivity of Mg Electrolyte Species on MgV2O4 Cathode Surface”, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2023, 15 (41), 48072–48084, #equally contributed
Jehee Park, Kyojin Ku*, Jihyeon Gim, Seoung-bum Son, Heonjae Jeong, Lei Cheng, Hakim Iddir, Dewen Hou, Claire Xiong, Youngsik Kim, Eungje Lee*, Christopher Johnson, "Multi-functional Effect of Fe Substitution in Na Layered Cathode Materials for Enhanced Storage Stability", ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2023, 15 (32), 38454–38462
Heonjae Jeong, Edmund G. Seebauer*, “Effects of adventitious impurity adsorption on oxygen interstitial injection rates from submerged TiO2(110) and ZnO(0001) surfaces”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 2023, 41 (3), 033203
Chuyi Xie#, Chen Zhao#, Heonjae Jeong, Tianyi Li, Luxi Li, Wenqian Xu, Zhenzhen Yang, Cong Lin, Qiang Liu, Lei Cheng, XingkangHuang, Gui-Liang Xu*, Khalil Amine*, Guohua Chen*, “Suppressing Universal Cathode Crossover in High-Energy Lithium Metal Battereis via a Versatile Interlayer Design”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, e202217476, 1–8, #equally contributed
Heonjae Jeong, Ethan P. Kamphaus, Paul C. Redfern, Nathan T. Hahn, Noel J. Leon, Chen Liao, Lei Cheng*, "Computational Predictions of Stability of Fluorinated Calcium Aluminate and Borate Salts”, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2023, 15 (5), 6933–6941
Wenxiang Chen, Xun Zhan, Renliang Yuan, Saran Pidaparthy, Adrian Xiao Bin Yong, Hyosung An, Zhichu Tang, Kaijun Yin, Arghya Patra, Heonjae Jeong, Cheng Zhang, Kim Ta, Zachary W. Riedel, Ryan M. Stephens, Daniel P. Shoemaker, Hong Yang, Andrew A. Gewirth, Paul V. Braun, Elif Ertekin, Jian-Min Zuo*, Qian Chen*, “Formation and impact of nanoscopic oriented phase domains in electrochemical crystalline electrodes”, Nat. Mater, 2023, 22, 92‒99
2022
Heonjae Jeong, Edmund G. Seebauer*, “Effects of Ultraviolet Illumination on Oxygen Interstitial Injection from TiO2 under Liquid Water", J. Phys. Chem. C, 2022, 126 (49), 20800‒20806
Heonjae Jeong, Edmund G. Seebauer*, “Strong Isotopic Fractionation of Oxygen in TiO2 by Surface-Enhanced Solid-State Diffusion”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2022, 13 (42), 9841‒9847
Heonjae Jeong, Elif Ertekin, Edmund G. Seebauer*, “Surface-Based Post-synthesis Manipulation of Point Defects in Metal Oxides UsingLiquid Water”, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2022, 14 (29), 34059‒34068
2021
Heonjae Jeong, Ming Li, Jingtian Kuang, Elif Ertekin, Edmund G. Seebauer*, “Mechanism of creation and destruction of oxygen interstitial atoms by nonpolar zinc oxide (101"0) surfaces”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021, 23 (30), 16423‒16435
2020
Heonjae Jeong, Elif Ertekin, Edmund G. Seebauer*, “Kinetic Control of Oxygen Interstitial Interaction with TiO2(110) via the SurfaceFermi Energy”, Langmuir, 2020, 36 (42), 12632‒12648
Heonjae Jeong, Edmund G. Seebauer, Elif Ertekin*, “Fermi Level Dependence of Gas-Solid Oxygen Defect Exchange Mechanism onTiO2(110) by First-Principles Calculations”, J. Chem. Phys., 2020, 153 (12), 124710
Dong Young Jang, Junmo Koo, Hyeon Rak Choi, Jun Woo Kim, Heon Jae Jeong, Fritz B. Prinz, Joon Hyung Shim*, “Coke-Free Oxidation of Methanol in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Heterogeneous Nickel-Palladium Catalysts Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition”, ACS Sustain.Chem. Eng., 2020, 8 (28), 10529‒10535
2018
Heonjae Jeong, Edmund G. Seebauer, Elif Ertekin*, “First-Principles Description of Oxygen Self-Diffusion in Rutile TiO2: Assessment of Uncertainties due to Enthalpy and Entropy Contributions,” Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20 (25), 17448‒17457
2017
Jun Woo Kim, Dong Young Jang, Manjin Kim, Heonjae Jeong, Namkeun Kim*, and Joon Hyung Shim* “Compositional Optimization of Gadolinia-Doped Ceria Treatment for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Kinetics in Low Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells” Thin Solid Films, 2017, 624, 95‒100
2016
Heonjae Jeong#, Jun Woo Kim#, Joonsuk Park, Jihwan An, Tonghun Lee, Fritz B. Prinz, Joon Hyung Shim*, “Bimetallic Nickel/Ruthenium Catalysts Synthesized by Atomic Layer Deposition for Low-Temperature Direct Methanol Solid Oxide Fuel Cells,” ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, 8 (44), 30090‒30098, #equally contributed
2015
You Kai Li#, Hyung Jong Choi#, Ho Keun Kim, Ke Chean Neoh, Manjin Kim, Junmo Koo, Heon Jae Jeong, Dong Young Jang, Joon Hyung Shim*, “Nanoporous Silver Cathodes Surface-Treated by Atomic Layer Deposition of Y:ZrO2 for High-Performance Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells,” J. Power Sources, 2015, 295, 175‒181, #equally contributed
Heon Jae Jeong, Jun Woo Kim, Dong Young Jang, Joon Hyung Shim*, “Atomic Layer Deposition of Ruthenium Surface-Coating on Porous Platinum Catalysts for High-Performance Direct Ethanol Solid Oxide Fuel Cells,” J. Power Sources, 2015, 291, 239‒245
Heon Jae Jeong, Jun Woo Kim, Kiho Bae, Hojean Jung, Joon Hyung Shim*, “Platinum-Ruthenium Heterogene- ous Catalytic Anodes Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition for Use in Direct Methanol Solid Oxide Fuel Cells,” ACS Catal., 2015, 5 (3), 1914‒1921
Contact
Contact
Office address: 403 Ricci Hall Annex, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 04107, South Korea
Email: hjeong@sogang.ac.kr
Phone: +82-2-705-8636
Office hours: Monday - Friday (9:00 am - 5:00 pm)
How to contact Heonjae
Email is the best way. I will do my best to respond to you within a reasonable time frame.
To future colleagues
We warmly welcome your interest and look forward to meeting you. Our research themes resonate with a wide range of academic backgrounds, not only mechanical engineering, but also theoretical and applied sciences, as well as data science. We focus on the intersection of machine learning and applied science to tackle planetary thermodynamic and kinetic challenges in materials and processes. If you have a clear vision and a passion for active research, please feel free to contact Heonjae.
Group openings (Spring 2026)
Our lab welcomes both Sogang-affiliated and external students from diverse cultural and personal backgrounds. We particularly encourage enthusiastic undergraduates to reach out, as we value curiosity and motivation in early-stage researchers. We seek students who are eager to pursue world-class, impactful research and are committed to advancing their studies toward a Ph.D. degree. The availability of graduate and postdoctoral positions depends on current funding status, and interested candidates are encouraged to contact Heonjae for more information. If you wish to join us, please email your CV along with a brief statement of your research interests and goals.
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