General Lab Information

Gihan Kwon

PDF Beamline Scientist, Hard X-ray Scattering & Spectroscopy Program, National Synchrotron Light Source II

Gihan Kwon

Brookhaven National Laboratory

National Synchrotron Light Source II
Bldg. 741
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000

(631) 344-6132
gkwon@bnl.gov

I am working at 28-ID-1 (Pair distribution function) beamline.

Expertise | Research | Education | Publications | Highlights


Expertise

  • Analysis of the structure and electronic state of solar fuel catalysts (amorphous thin film, molecules) on electrode surface using X-ray scattering (PDF) and spectroscopic techniques (RXES, RIXS, XAS). 
  • Development of experimental tools in-situ electrochemical cell for amorphous thin film and molecules and heterogeneous chemical reaction cell) for transmission PDF and interface PDF (IPDF).

Research Activities

  • A structural and electronic information analysis: Solar fuel and heterogeneous catalysts by PDF, RXES, RIXS, and XAS. 
  • Developing in-situ electrochemical cell for solar fuel catalysts: Amorphous thin film, molecular catalysts, water in confined space or electrode
  • Developing of in-situ heterogeneous chemical reaction cell for ME-PSD time-resolved (tr)-DRIFTS.
  • Developing in-situ electrochemical cells for X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) experiments.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.
  • Postdoctoral associate with Prof. Ulrich Heiz at Technische Universität München (TUM)
  • Postdoctoral associate with Dr. David Tiede at Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University

Selected Publications

  • Tiede DM, Kwon G, He X, Mulfort KL, Martinson ABF (2020) Characterizing electronic and atomic structures for amorphous and molecular metal oxide catalysts at functional interfaces by combining soft X-ray spectroscopy and high-energy X-ray scattering. Nanoscale 12:13276–13296. doi: 10.1039/d0nr02350g
  • Kwon G, Cho Y-H, Kim K-B, Emery JD, Kim IS, Zhang X, Martinson ABF, Tiede DM (2019) Microfluidic electrochemical cell for in situ structural characterization of amorphous thin-film catalysts using high-energy X-ray scattering. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 26:1600–1611. doi: 10.1107/s1600577519007240
  • Kwon G, Jang H, Lee J-S, Mane A, Mandia DJ, Soltau SR, Utschig LM, Martinson ABF, Tiede DM, Kim H, Kim J (2018) Resolution of Electronic and Structural Factors Underlying Oxygen-Evolving Performance in Amorphous Cobalt Oxide Catalysts. Journal of the American Chemical Society 140:10710–10720. doi: 10.1021/jacs.8b02719
  • Batchellor AS, Kwon G, Laskowski FAL, Tiede DM, Boettcher SW (2017) Domain Structures of Ni and NiFe (Oxy)Hydroxide Oxygen-Evolution Catalysts from X-ray Pair Distribution Function Analysis. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 121:25421–25429. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b10306
  • Yang KR, Matula AJ, Kwon G, Hong J, Sheehan SW, Thomsen JM, Brudvig GW, Crabtree RH, Tiede DM, Chen LX, Batista VS (2016) Solution Structures of Highly Active Molecular Ir Water-Oxidation Catalysts from Density Functional Theory Combined with High-Energy X-ray Scattering and EXAFS Spectroscopy. Journal of the American Chemical Society 138:5511–5514. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b01750
  • Kwon G, Kokhan O, Han A, Chapman KW, Chupas PJ, Du P, Tiede DM (2015) Oxyanion induced variations in domain structure for amorphous cobalt oxide oxygen evolving catalysts, resolved by X-ray pair distribution function analysis. Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Science, Crystal Engineering and Materials 71:713–721. doi: 10.1107/s2052520615022180
  • Kwon G, Ferguson GA, Heard CJ, Tyo EC, Yin C, DeBartolo J, Seifert S, Winans RE, Kropf AJ, Greeley J, Johnston RL, Curtiss LA, Pellin MJ, Vajda S (2013) Size-Dependent Subnanometer Pd Cluster (Pd4, Pd6, and Pd17) Water Oxidation Electrocatalysis. ACS Nano 7:5808–5817. doi: 10.1021/nn400772s
  • Kunz S, Hartl K, Nesselberger M, Schweinberger FF, Kwon G, Hanzlik M, Mayrhofer KJJ, Heiz U, Arenz M (2010) Size-selected clusters as heterogeneous model catalysts under applied reaction conditions. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 12:10288. doi: 10.1039/c0cp00288g

Research Highlights

  • G. Kwon, H. Jang, J.-S. Lee, A. Mane, S. Soltau, L. Utschig, A. B. F. Martinson, D. M. Tiede, H, Kim, and J. Kim, “Resolution of Electronic and Structural Factors Underlying Oxygen-Evolution Performance in Amorphous Cobalt Oxide Catalysts”, Submitted to J. Am. Chem. Soc. 140, 10710(2018). Highlights “Scientists take X-ray aim in effort to discover new fuel catalyst”, https://www.anl.gov/article/scientists-take-xray-aim-in-effort-to-discover-new-fuel-catalyst.
  • B. Rudshteyn, K. L. Materna, N. T. La Porte, K. J. Fisher, K. R. Yang, S. Hedstrom, J. F. Martinez, G. Kwon, J. Hong, D. M. Tiede,3 L. X. Chen,  M. R. Wasielewski, R. H. Crabtree, G. W. Brudvig, V. S. Batista, ” The pyridine alkoxide ligand works for water oxidation catalysts both in theory and in practice”, 2017 EFRC-Hub-CMS PI meeting – Team science finalists, July 24, 2017, Washington D. C.
  • D. Tiede, G. Kwon, A. Martinson, K. Mulfort, L. Utschig, O. Poluektov, L. Chen, “Resolving Structures In-Situ for Solar-Driven Water-Oxidation Catalysts Using High Energy X-ray Scattering” 38th DOE Solar Photochemistry PI’s Meeting, Gaithersburg, MD, June 6-9, 2016. Highlighted for the best work.
  • G. Kwon, G. A. Ferguson, C. J. Heard, E. C. Tyo, C. Yin, J. DeBartolo, S. Seifert, R. E. Winans, A. J. Kropf, J. P. Greeley, R. L. Johnston, L. A. Curtiss, M. J. Pellin, and S. Vajda, “Size-dependent subnanometer Pd cluster (Pd4, Pd6, and Pd17) water oxidation electrocatalysis”, ACS Nano 7, 5808(2013). Science Highlights "Building Better Catalysts for Splitting Water" by DOE (https://science.osti.gov/bes/Highlights/2014/BES-2014-06-k), APS at ANL (https://www.aps.anl.gov/APS-Science-Highlight/2014/Building-Better-Catalysts-for-Splitting-Water).
Gihan Kwon

Brookhaven National Laboratory

National Synchrotron Light Source II
Bldg. 741
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000

(631) 344-6132
gkwon@bnl.gov