The novel materials graphene and carbon nanotubes, which exhibit excellent electrical conductivity, have attracted attention as fillers for next-generation conductive composites. However, the conductivity of nano-carbon composites is known to fall short of theoretical expectations in most cases.

To address this issue, a Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) student has demonstrated that the conductivity of composites can be improved by a simple non‑covalent functionalization method that introduces phenyl glycidyl ether (PGE), which has a single benzene structure, onto the surface of carbon fillers.

The subject of the attention is Mina Kim, majoring in Organic Materials and Textile Engineering at JBNU (Class of 2018; supervisor Professor Seong-ryun Kim). Kim spent her undergraduate years as a research student in JBNU's Composite Materials Design Laboratory, graduated this February, and has since begun a master's program to continue her research. She is regarded as a promising student.

Her research has focused on suppressing aggregation of carbon fillers—a factor that reduces conductivity in composites—and inducing uniform dispersion of fillers.

With relentless enthusiasm for this research, she focused on the new materials graphene and carbon nanotubes to improve composite conductivity. Through a series of experiments, she demonstrated that using PGE, which has a single benzene structure, to induce non‑covalent functionalization and esterification reactions can improve the interface between fillers and the matrix and enhance the conductive properties of the composites.

As a result, she received attention when, unusually for an undergraduate researcher, a related paper was published in the SCI-indexed international journal Composites Communications (IF: 7.685). The paper, titled 'Phenyl glycidyl ether-based non-covalent functionalization of nano-carbon fillers for improving conductive properties of polymer composites,' lists JBNU graduate student Hye-seong Lee (Ph.D. program, Department of Carbon Materials and Fiber Engineering) and Dr. Jae-woo Kim (Composite Materials Technology Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology) among the co-authors.

Mina Kim said, "After dedicating myself to research and spending the past two years as an undergraduate researcher while encountering a new research field, I am very pleased that our efforts have been rewarded with such meaningful results. I sincerely thank my supervisor, the co-authors, and my parents for their support. Now that I have just entered graduate school, I will not lose my initial passion for research and will continue to grow as a researcher who can change the world."

Professor Seong-ryun Kim, her advisor, said, "The demand for talent with independent research capabilities is growing due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. To meet this demand, the engineering education paradigm for undergraduates must be revised, and active research mentorship for undergraduates is necessary. I want to applaud Mina Kim for her efforts in achieving excellent research outcomes while balancing undergraduate studies and laboratory work for two years."

Meanwhile, this research was carried out under the National Research Foundation of Korea's Mid-career Researcher Support Program (No. 2021R1A2C1093839).