All about Lab
Structural Analysis and Materials Research Laboratory

SAMLAB

• • The Structural Analysis and Materials Research Laboratory (SAMLAB), led by Prof. H.K. Lee, is committed to advancing the sustainable construction industry, with a focus on the development of eco-friendly and high-performance construction materials while employing multiscale modeling for the prediction and optimization of these materials. Our research focuses on the development of multifunctional construction materials through the integration of nanomaterials and microbial-based biotechnology, and aims to advance CO2 utilization and sequestration techniques, contributing to carbon neutrality and paving the way for future sustainable construction solutions.

Research Themes

• • SAMLAB’s research covers a broad spectrum, ranging from the development of sustainable construction to the design of multifunctional materials for the application of smart infrastructure. A key focus is the development of low-carbon construction materials through the utilization of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technologies, supporting the transition to a carbon-neutral society. In addition, SAMLAB is committed to enhancing the durability and long-term performance of multifunctional, high-performance cementitious materials by analyzing their behaviors under various environmental conditions. Particularly, multiscale modeling is applied to optimize and improve the properties of cementitious materials, facilitating advanced material design.
  • The major research topics at SAMLAB include, but are not limited to:

• 1.

  Eco-friendly, low-carbon construction materials

• 2.

  Materials modeling and simulation

• 3.

  Multi-functional, high-performance construction materials

Research Topics

• 1) Eco-friendly, low-carbon construction materials
  • • Reducing CO2 emissions from cement production is a key challenge in achieving sustainability. Portland cement, the most widely used cement worldwide, generates approximately an equivalent mass of CO2 per unit produced. To address this, low-carbon construction materials are being developed by exploring and optimizing raw materials and by incorporating CCUS technology. In particular, CO2 curing facilitates the uptake of atmospheric CO2 into the cement matrix with the precipitation of carbonate minerals. Including all these, SAMLAB strives to explore innovative strategies to enhance the efficiency and practicality of CO2-based technologies, aiming to develop sustainable construction materials.

    

    Carbonation progress and CO2 uptake during CO2 curing (Park et al, 2025)

• 2) Materials modeling and simulation
  • • The analysis of the construction materials can be expanded to the research field of micromechanics-based modeling and simulation, as they have distinctive characteristics in mesoscale, microscale, and nanoscale. Micromechanics-based modeling can be applied to simulate the electrical and mechanical performances of cementitious materials. Furthermore, multiscale modeling, integrating molecular dynamics, micromechanics, and the finite element method, can scale up intrinsic characteristics at smaller scales to larger scales, enabling us how chemical reactions influence the physical properties of cementitious materials. Therefore, leveraging multiscale modeling in conjunction with micromechanics, we analyze the physical and chemical properties of cementitious materials exposed to various environmental conditions influenced by reactive ions to enhance the durability of cementitious materials.

    

    Multiscale modeling of cementitious materials (Jinho Bae, Ph. D thesis, 2025)

  • • Thermodynamic modeling can efficiently predict thermodynamically stable hydrate phases in cementitious materials, serving as a fast tool for investigating long-term hydration of cementitious materials. Its chemical model can be integrated with conceptual and transport models of cementitious materials to explore a wide range of applications. Through thermodynamic modeling, we extend the analysis of microstructural evolution beyond the limited testing timeframe and assess the long-term durability of cementitious materials, particularly the leaching behavior of ions, which is challenging to evaluate experimentally.

    

    Applications of thermodynamic modeling of cementitious materials (Park et al, 2025; Park et al, 2020)

• 3) Multi-functional, high-performance construction materials
  • • In the modern civil engineering, the role of construction materials extends beyond structural support to incorporate various functionalities. Multi-functional and high-performance construction materials enable the extensive and automatic maintenance of large-scale structures. SAMLAB is focused on developing advanced cementitious materials that integrate carbon-based fillers to create conductive networks within the concrete matrix. These networks allow the materials to exhibit unique properties, such as piezoresistivity for structural health monitoring and self-heating for de-icing applications. Our research aims to optimize the performance of these conductive composites, ensuring their functionality and durability under various environmental conditions.
    • 

      Schematic illustration of electromechanical sensing responses of cementitious composites (Jang et al, 2021)

    • 

      Self-heating cement composites for de-icing applications (Jang et al, 2021)

    • Similarly, the incorporation of biological admixtures (i.e., biomineralizing bacteria) into cementitious materials enables autonomous crack healing by inducing mineral precipitation. The application of self-healing cementitious materials in construction can enhance structural durability and efficiently reduce maintenance time and costs, particularly in large-scale or underwater structures, where repairs are both technically challenging and resource intensive. For this reason, we investigate the optimization of bacterial incorporation methods, the enhancement of microbial activity in cementitious environments, and the long-term durability of self-healing mechanisms under various exposure conditions

    

    Crack healing mechanism of cement composite with biological admixtures (Kim et al, 2020)

Recent News

• [Mar. 2025]
  • Prof. Solmoi Park, an alumnus of our lab, has been appointed as an associate professor in the School of Civil, Architectural Engineering, and Landscape Architecture at Sungkyunkwan University.

• [Nov. 2024]
  • On behalf of Prof. Lee, Dr. Joonho Seo presented at the Aramco-KAIST CO2 Management Center Workshop at the Saudi Aramco R&D center.

• [Aug. 2024]
  • Prof. Lee gave a plenary keynote speech at ACEM2024 (The 2024 World Congress on Advances in Civil, Environmental, & Materials Research)

• [Oct. 2023]
  • Prof. Lee received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University.

• [Apr. 2023]
  • Prof. Lee received the Academic Achievement Award from the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea in recognition of his contributions as the 21st president of the institute.