Il-Doo Kim is from the Korean Institute of Science and Technology, studying the gas sensing properties of metal oxide nanostructures. 

What inspired you to become a scientist? 

My elder sister received a major at university in clay art. She introduced me to the very interesting subject of clay/inorganic materials from the view point of an artist. I was attracted in the intrinsic properties of the base materials, and this influenced my decision to study inorganic materials. At present, I have expanded my research interests to not only inorganic materials but also to the development of nanostructured materials in ceramics, in conjunction with polymer templating. 

What was your motivation behind the work described in your ChemComm article? 

We were interested in the preparation of an "egg-shell" structure. This structure offers a high surface area while allowing easy penetration of gases. To create this structure, we used polymer beads as a sacrificial template. We learned that closely packed arrays of hollow metal-oxide hemispheres can be fabricated through a combination of a colloidal sacrificial template with sputtering deposition. This leads to a threefold enhancement of the NO2 gas sensitivity of templated films compared to their non-templated counterparts. 

Why did you choose ChemComm to publish your work? 

I believe that ChemComm is a prestigious journal that focuses on high-quality articles. As a materials scientist, I wanted strongly to publish the recent progress of my research group in a chemistry journal. Thus, I hoped ChemComm would be my first chemistry journal. Therefore, I was very happy to realize the publication of our work. My close friend and colleague Dr. Avner Rothschild (Technion - Israel Institute of Technology) also suggested that the ChemComm journal would be most appropriate for my entry into publishing in the field of chemistry. 

Where do you see your research heading next? 

We are exploring the synthesis and broad application of nanostructured materials, including the "egg-shell" structure prepared by colloidal templating as well as nanofibers prepared by electrospinning. We hope to demonstrate the potential usage of our nanostructured materials for application in such areas as chemical sensors, electrochemical capacitors and Li-ion batteries. 

What do enjoy doing in your spare time? 

I like to spend as much time as I can with my family. In particular, my daughter, who is only seven months old. As we always emphasize, a well-balanced life is also very important when doing research, although most researchers are more oriented towards the work. 

If you could not be a scientist, but could be anything else, what would you be? 

I am not 100% sure, but perhaps I would be a tour guide because I like traveling very much. I traveled to Tanzania, in Africa, in 2007. The giant elephants there, which were larger than our safari bus, were amazing to me. Nature always gives us rest and serves as a tonic to our health. 

Interviewed by Emma Shiells