Molten Salt Electrolytes for Sustainable Materials Processes
Speaker
Hojong Kim
Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
About This Talk
Electrochemistry is important in clean energy technologies, including energy conversion devices (e.g., batteries and fuel cells) and electrolytic processes for producing green hydrogen (electrolyzers), chemicals, and materials (electrometallurgy). Electrochemical processes using molten salt electrolytes have been widely employed for primary production of energy-critical materials such as alkali metals (lithium, sodium), light metals (aluminum, magnesium), and rare-earth metals, leveraging their wide electrochemical stability window and high ionic conductivity at elevated temperatures. As the demand for materials continues to increase for clean energy transitions, new materials processes are needed to enable the efficient recovery of energy-critical materials and decarbonize today’s carbon-intensive materials processes. This seminar discusses the challenges of rare-earth recovery in molten salt environments and explores opportunities to enhance recovery efficiency through liquid metal electrodes and electrolyte modifications. Additionally, it addresses electrode reactions of transition metal oxides in molten salts, aiming to achieve CO2-free metal-making processes.
Biography
Hojong Kim is an associate professor of material science and engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Kim received his BS from Seoul National University and his PhD from MIT in materials science and engineering. He conducted graduate research under Professor Ronald Latanision in Uhlig Corrosion Laboratory, worked as a senior researcher and process engineer at Samsung-Corning Precision Glass, and then as a postdoctoral scholar at MIT under Professor Donald Sadoway. His research aims to contribute to the growing needs for sustainable technologies with a focus on electrochemical processes for the recovery of energy-critical materials, energy storage, decarbonized metalmaking, and corrosion-resistant materials. He received the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award, and the doctoral new investigator award from the American Chemical Society.
About the MSE Seminar Series
The Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Seminar Series features distinguished speakers from leading institutions, offering a platform for sharing groundbreaking research, innovative ideas, and entrepreneurial experiences. Held multiple times each semester, these seminars bring global perspectives world to MIT’s materials research community, exposing students, faculty, and postdocs to cutting-edge concepts and valuable networking opportunities.