Research

Overview

The biggest scientific challenge in the 21th century is to develop a green chemical process and new alternative energy sources that can replace the fossil fuels. In this regard, the ultimate goal of our research center is to synthesize new functional nanoporous materials such as hierarchical zeolites, mesoporous silicas, carbons, and organic-inorganic composite materials that can be used for advanced applications in the production of alternative energy sources and in the green chemical processes.

The nanoporous materials to be generated in the present research are expected to exhibit greatly enhanced catalytic activity in the partial oxidation reaction of organic compound for its special property of the limiting and controlling the molecular movement and collision and the strong electric field effect through ion concentration control. In addition, hierarchically nanoporous structures would enhance the molecular diffusion which can remarkably retard the catalyst deactivation process. The synthesis of such nanostructured catalysts is global companies, such as ExxonMobil, invested huge amount of research fund for many decades. Therefore, the development of the environmental-friendly and highly functional catalyst materials are expected to be highly advantageous through this research project in a close future. For example, the materials could be applied to the MTG process (Methanol to Gasoline process: a method of producing liquid hydrocarbons for use as synthetic fuel from methanol by heating with zeolite catalyst), which is recently drawing worldwide attention because of the rising cost of the fossil fuels.

 Research Interest

• Fuel cell & supercapacitor

• CO₂ utilization & green chemistry

• Green chemistry

• C₁ chemistry

• Cool materials & heat mitigation

• Fuel cell hydrogen

Keywords:

• Synthesis and characterization of functional nanoporous materials (zeolite, silica, carbon, polymeric)

• Heterogeneous catalysis, green chemistry, C₁ chemistry, hydrogen production and storage

Research Breakthrough

Selected in Breakthrough of the Year 2011 by Science journal

Science, an internationally renowned scientific journal based in the US, observed a special issue "Breakthrough of the Year 2011," dated December 23, 2011. In this issue, he has published a research on most important recent breakthroughs. His mesoporous zeolite research was selected as one of the 10 Breakthroughs of 2011.
Visit: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.334.6063.1629

Citation Record

Prof. Ryoo is the author and co-author of 340 papers published in international journals.
His publications recorded more than 54,900 citations, resulting in a Google h-index of 110 as of 2026.

Professional Career

1979–1982: Researcher at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

1982–1986: Postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

1986–2022: Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) :Assistant Professor (1986-1990), Associate Professor (1990-1996), Professor (1996-2008), Distinguished Professor (2008-2022)

2012–2022: Center for Nanomaterials and Chemical Reactions, IBS (Institute for Basic Science), Director

2017–present: School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, Honorary Professor

2022–present: Institute for Environmental and Climate Technology, Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), Distinguished Professor.

Academic Membership

• since 2001: Fellow, Korean Academy of Science and Technology

• since 2006: Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry

Awards and Honors

• Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate (2014) [Thomson Reuters' predictions of 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, jointly with Charles Kresge and Galen Stucky for Design of Functional Mesoporous Materials]

• Selected as one of the Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2011 by Science magazine

• Top 100 Chemists of the 2000–2010 Decade by UNESCO & IUPAC based on Thomson Reuters citation impact data (2011)

• Breck Award by International Zeolite Association (2010)

• Ho-Am Prize in Science by Samsung (2010)

• National Scientist by Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Korea (2007)

• Leading Scientist in Research Front by Thomson Scientific and KOSEF (2007)

• Top Scientist Award by Korean government (2005)

• Professor of the Year at KAIST (2001)

• Honorary Professor, Qingdao University (since 2018)

• Honorary Professor, University of Queensland (since 2017)

Selected Journal Publications

1. Ryong Ryoo, Jaeheon Kim, Changbum Jo, Seung Won Han, Jeong-Chul Kim, Hongjun Park, Jongho Han, Hye Sun Shin & Jae Won Shin, "Rare-earth-platinum alloy nanoparticles in mesoporous zeolite for catalysis", Nature 585, 221-224 (2020). 

2. Kyoungsoo Kim, Taekyoung Lee, Yonghyun Kwon, Yongbeom Seo, Jongchan Song, Jung Ki Park, Hyunsoo Lee, Jeong Young Park, Hyotcherl Lhee, Sung June Cho, "Lanthanum-catalysed synthesis of microporous 3D graphene-like carbons in a zeolite template", Nature 535, 131-135 (2016).

3. Kyungsoo Na, Changum Jo, Jeongnam Kim, Kanghee Cho, Jinhwan Jung, Yongbeom Seo, Robert J. Messinger, Bradley F. Chmelka & Ryong Ryoo, "Directing zeolite structures into hierarchically nanoporous architectures", Science 333, 328-332 (2011).

4. Minkee Choi, Kyungsu Na, Jeongnam Kim, Yasuhiro Sakamoto, Osamu Terasaki & Ryong Ryoo, "Stable single-unit-cell nanosheets of zeolite MFI as active and long-lived catalysts", Nature 461, 246-249 (2009).

5. Minkee Choi, Hae Sung Cho, Rajendra Srivastava, Chithravel Venkatesan, Dae-Heung Choi & Ryong Ryoo, “Amphiphilic organosilane-directed synthesis of crystalline zeolite with tunable mesoporosity”, Nature Mater. 5, 718-723 (2006).  

6. Freddy Kleitz, Shin Hei Choi & Ryong Ryoo, “Cubic Ia3d large mesoporous silica: Synthesis and replication to platinum nanowires, carbon nanorods and carbon nanotubes”, Chem. Commun., 2136-2137 (2003).

7. Sang Hoon Joo, Seong Jae Choi, Ilwhan Oh, Juhyoun Kwak, Zheng Liu, Osamu Terasaki & Ryong Ryoo, “Ordered nanoporous arrays of carbon supporting high dispersions of platinum nanoparticles”, Nature 412, 169-172 (2001).

8. Yasuhiro Sakamoto, Mizue Kaneda, Osamu Terasaki, Dong Yuan Zhao, Ji Man Kim, Galen Stucky, Hyun June Shin & Ryong Ryoo, “Direct imaging of the pores and cages of three-dimensional mesoporous materials”, Nature 408, 449-453 (2000).

9. Shinae Jun, Sang Hoon Joo, Ryong Ryoo, Michal Kruk, Mietek Jaroniec, Zheng Liu, Tetsu Ohsuna & Osamu Terasaki, “Synthesis of new, nanoporous carbon with hexagonally ordered mesostructure”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 122, 10712-10713 (2000).

10. Ryong Ryoo, Sang Hoon Joo & Shinae Jun, “Synthesis of highly ordered carbon molecular sieves via template-mediated structural transformation”, J. Phys. Chem. B 103, 7743-7746 (1999).