RESEARCH | Yoon Group

I. Rhenium materials & complexes

We explore the chemistry of rhenium (Re) in both solids and coordination complexes, spanning elemental Re, oxides, doped alloys, hybrid frameworks, and ligand-defined Re centers. Rhenium’s unusually wide redox window (–1 to +7) enables diverse electronic structures and bonding motifs. We connect these multivalent states to structure–property–reactivity relationships that drive distinctive electronic, optoelectronic, and catalytic behaviors.

Re-based nanostructures: synthesis of Re, multivalent ReOx, and doped Re alloys.
Synthesis of Re complexes
Electronic and optical properties: structure-controlled Re oxides and framework materials.

II. Rhenium Catalysis for Sustainable Energy and Environment

Grounded in a deep solid-state understanding of Re, we design thermal, photo-, electro-, and molecular catalysis, we design systems that enable carbon-free hydrogen generation, selective oxidation, and green organic transformations, advancing toward sustainable energy and environmental remediation.

Electrocatalysis: water splitting, ammonia decomposition, and synthesis
Photocatalysis: pollutant degradation and CO₂ conversion
Thermocatalysis: scalable hydrogen production from nitrogen–hydrogen compounds
Molecular catalysis: selective hydrogenation and dehydrogenation for organic synthesis

III. Extended coordination networks

We design extended coordination networks that integrate metal–metal bonding motifs and molecular-level electronic coupling. These systems provide a bridge between molecular and solid-state chemistry, enabling tunable charge transport, cooperative reactivity, and emergent collective behavior.

Metal–metal bonded coordination systems for multi-electron transfer and adaptive electronic structures.
Molecular design for neuromorphic systems.
Catalytically active coordination frameworks.
Synthesis of novel metal-organic frameworks and coordination polymers