Kwangwook is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry at MIT, where he works with Professor Jeremiah A. Johnson to apply synthetic chemistry tools to the study of polymer network materials. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, he earned his B.S. in Chemistry from POSTECH.
Research Description: Many plastics are discarded not because most of their molecular structure has broken down, but because they crack, tear, or wear out during use. This research seeks to address that problem by incorporating tiny force-responsive molecular units, called mechanophores, into plastics at the molecular level. These units remain stable during normal use but break when stress becomes dangerously high. Their controlled breaking helps absorb energy that would otherwise drive crack growth and lead to failure. By combining modeling, synthesis, and materials characterization, the project aims to create longer-lasting plastics while preserving the useful properties that make them practical and affordable.