Kyu Taek Cho, Ph.D.

Title: Associate Professor
Department: Mechanical Engineering
Office Location: EB 202
Office Phone: 815-753-3346
Email: kcho@niu.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University (2010)
  • M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University (2008)

Research Interests

  • Physical electrochemistry at the interface between electrode and electrolyte: mechanism of growth/breakdown of oxide layer (metal-air batteries), active control of SEI layer (lithium-ion batteries), dendrite growth and interfacial resistance (all solid state batteries).
  • Additive manufacturing: melt pool dynamics, surface and porosity control, grain size control, analysis of metal powder flow, artificial neural network.
  • Physico-chemical adsorption mechanism, autocatalytic reaction, and kinetics: electrocoagulation to treat wastewater, electrolysis to produce the renewable fuels (H2).
  • Transport phenomena in porous structure in electrochemical system: capillary, phase-induced, and forced flow in porous material (fuel cell and redox flow batteries).
  • Design of heat and mass transfer system.

Professional Activities

  • NSF Panelist: CBET Energy for sustainability batteries panel (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021).
  • A guest editor in "process" journal (2019 – 2021).
  • Reviewer: Journal of Power Sources, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, Journal of Energy Storage, Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage.

Selected Journal Publications

  • Adam Cotton, Kyu Taek Cho, Xiao Su, Dzeneta Dujkovic, and Tomoyuki Shibata, "Development of Innovative Electrochemical Treatment Technology for Sustainable Water Supply System in Illinois", 2021 Illinois Innovation Network Sustainability Research Conference, 10. 29. 2021.
  • Nunez, J. Shelton, K. Cho, "Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Single Clads Generated by Directed Energy Deposition Additive Manufacturing Processes, oral presentation", TMS2021 Virtual March 15-18, 2021.
  • Gonzalez, K. Cho, J. Shelton, P. Sabharwall, I. Van Rooyen, ""Numerical Study to Predict the Effect of Surface Roughness on the Thermal and Hydraulic Performance of Additively Manufactured Heat Exchangers", poster presentation, TMS2021 Virtual March 15-18, 2021.
  • Swachwa Dey, K. T. Cho, "Modeling Study of a Promising Electrocoagulation System for Water Treatment", Illinois Innovation Network Research Conference on Sustainability, October 29, 2020, Eastern Illinois University
  • T. Cho "Electrochemical Energy System", invited talk at University of Connecticut, Nov. 2019.
  • Welch, A. Mohammad, and K.T. Cho "Analysis of Oxide Film on Aluminum Electrode in Ionic Liquid Based Aluminum Air Battery", 235th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Dallas, TX, May 2019.
  • Chong Zhou, Kaustubh Bonge, Kyu Taek Cho, "Effect of H2 Evolution in Aqueous Aluminum Air Battery", 235th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Dallas, TX, May 2019.
  • Talha Razaulla, Kyu Taek Cho, "Redox-Mediated Bromate Based Electrochemical Energy System (Aqueous multi-electron RFB)", 235th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Dallas, TX, May 2019.
  • T. Cho "Electrochemical Energy System", invited talk at Hyundai Motor Company, June. 2017.
  • C. Tucker, K. T. Cho, V. Srinivasan, V. Battaglia, A. Z. Weber, G. Lin, P. Y. Chong, and T. V. Nguyen, ‘Performance and Durability of the Br2 – H2 Redox Flow Cell’, 225th Electochemical Society Meeting, Orlando, FL, May 2014.

Selected Patent Applications

  • Edward Knudsen, Paul Albertus, M.C. Tucker, K. T. Cho, A.Z. Weber, US 10,326,153 B2.
  • C. Tucker, K. T. Cho, A.Z. Weber, US 2017/0244127 A1.
  • Paul Albertus, Edward Knudsen, M.C. Tucker, K. T. Cho, A.Z. Weber, US 2016/0308237 A1.
  • Yang, Y. Kim, S. Kim, M. Song, H. Shin, J. Lee, S. Chin, K. T. Cho, US Patent 7572540 B2.
  • T. Cho, T. Lim, K. Lee, S. Kim, J. Lee, and S. Cho, US Patent 7537855 B2.
  • T. Cho, "Gasket structure for fuel cell and fabrication method of the same", US Patent 7,121,558 B2.
  • T. Cho, T. Lim, Y. Yang, and J. Lee, "New structure of fuel cell stack", US Patent Application Number 11/636699.
  • T. Cho, J. Yoon, S.W. Kim, J. Lee, T. Lim, and M. M. Mench, US 8685584B2.
  • Kim, J. Yoon, K. T. Cho, J. Lee, B. Ahn, and M. M. Mench, US 8535843 B2.
  • T. Cho, J. Yoon, J. Lee, M. M. Mench, and A. Turhan, US 8685584B2.

Work Experience

  • Assistant professor, Mechanical Engineering, Northern Illinois University (2014 to 2019)
  • Principal research associate, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley (2010 to 2014)
  • Research professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2010)
  • Senior researcher, Hyundai/Kia Motor Company, Korea (1997 to 2009)

Contact Us

College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
Engineering Building
590 Garden Rd, DeKalb, IL
815-753-2256
ceet@niu.edu
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