EFDL|Jae W. Lee's Lab

Clathrate hydrates, also known as combustible ice, are crystalline inclusion compounds in which guest molecules such as methane, ethane, and carbon dioxide are trapped within water cages formed by hydrogen bonded networks of water molecules. In nature, vast deposits of natural gas hydrates exist and initially attracted enormous attention due to their value as energy resources. Recently, artificially synthesized clathrate hydrates have attracted attention as enabling materials in green processes: they can store gaseous energy (e.g., hydrogen) and facilitate the capture and sequestration of greenhouse gases. Below are the hydrate-based research topics currently underway in our lab. The Energy Fundamental Design Laboratory (EFDL) was established at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) in 2012. Our research focuses on Li–S batteries, electrochemical catalysis, CO₂ conversion into valuable carbon materials, and chemical looping processes. We also investigate the thermodynamics of integrated reaction–separation systems by visualizing multiscale phenomena in composition space and developing generalized mathematical frameworks. In clathrate hydrate research, we conduct high-pressure, low-temperature experiments, study surface interactions with surfactants, and perform molecular-level kinetics and thermodynamic modeling based on ab-initio and classical statistical mechanics.