Mixed protonic-electronic conductors are attracting attention as next-generation materials for investigating and harnessing proton-electron coupling (PEC). Such coupling can give rise to novel physical and chemical behaviors that are difficult to achieve with conventional electronic or protonic conductors alone, opening opportunities for a wide range of functional materials, including biomimetic electronic devices.
 

Professor Intek Song focuses on hydrogen-bonded coordination polymers (HBCPs) as a promising material platform for investigating mixed protonic-electronic conduction and PEC. In this study, the design and composition of HBCPs will be systematically controlled to independently examine changes in electron and proton transport and to clarify the still poorly understood interplay between the two transport processes, with the ultimate goal of controlling the mechanisms governing PEC.
 

This research seeks to deepen understanding of coupled proton-electron transport through systematic control of HBCP design and composition and to establish new principles for predicting and controlling PEC. Furthermore, by harnessing material-dependent PEC responses and extending these concepts to biomimetic systems, the study is expected to open new possibilities for functional applications of mixed conductors.