Dr. Koo joined the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at UT Austin in 2004. He is Senior Research Scientist and Director of Polymer Nanocomposites Technology Lab. He is affiliated with the Advanced Manufacturing Design Center and Texas Materials Institute, Prior to joining UT Austin, he was employed in the aerospace industry for about 20 years by Aerojet, BAE Systems, FMC, and NGC. Currently, he is specializing in “Polymer Nanocomposites Technology Designed for Extreme Environments”:

• Ablation Research
• Flame Retardant Polymers Research
• Conductive Polymers Research
• Polymers for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), and Multifunctional Jet Fusion 3D (MJF3D) in Additive Manufacturing
• Others

Dr. Koo has an excellent track record for developing well-funded research programs sponsored by DOD (AFOSR, AFRL, AMDEC, DTRA, MDA, NASA, NAVAIR, NAVSEA, NSWC, ONR), DOE, DOT, EPA, FAA, NASA, NSF, and other private companies. Dr. Koo has published over 550 publications, presentations, invited lectures, and patents. He is a Fellow of SAMPE and Nanotechnology Committee Chair of SAMPE; and Associate Fellow of AIAA and past chair of AIAA Materials Technical Committee. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Flame Retardancy and Thermal Stability of Materials. He is Associate Editor, International Journal of Energetic Materials and Chemical Propulsion. He serves on the Advisory Board of National Space and Missile Material Symposium (NSMMS), Carbon Letters, ISRN Mechanical Engineering, and Journal of Nanoparticles.

Dr. Koo has published two books: Fundamentals, Properties, and Applications of Polymer Nanocomposites, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK (2016) and Polymer Nanocomposites: Processing, Characterization, and Applications, McGraw-Hill, New York (2006).

Selected Publications

1. H. Wu, J. H. Koo et al., “Rubber toughened Flame retardant polyamide 11 nanocomposites for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Part 2: synergy between multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) and MMT nanoclay,” Flame Retardancy and Thermal Stability Materials, (2018), accepted.
2. J. H. Koo and J. Langston, “Polymer Nanocomposite Ablative Technologies for Solid Rocket Motors,” G-Q. He, Q-L. Yan, P-J. Liu, and M. Gozin, eds., Nanomaterials in Rocket Propulsion Systems, Elsevier, Oxford, UK (2018), accepted.
3. B. Wardle, J. H. Koo et al., “Advanced Nanoengineering Materials,” in B. Bhatt, ed., Aerospace Materials and Applications, AIAA, Reston, VA (2018), pp. 275-304.
4. H. Wu, J. H. Koo et al., “Multi-functional ULTEM™1010 Composite Filaments for Additive Manufacturing Using Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF),” Additive Manufacturing, (2018), 24: 298-306, doi: 101016/j.addma.2018.10.014.
5. K. Schellhase, J. H. Koo et al., “Experimental Characterization of Material Properties of Novel Silica/Polysiloxane Ablative,” J. of Spacecraft and Rockets, (2018), doi: 10.2514/1.A34044.
6. J. H. Koo, M. Natali et al., “In Situ Ablation Recession and Thermal Sensor for Thermal Protection Systems,” J. of Spacecraft and Rockets, (2018), 55(4):783-796, doi: 10.2514/1.A33925.
7. H. Wu, J. H. Koo et al., “Rubber toughened Flame retardant polyamide 11 nanocomposites for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Part 1: the effect of SEBS-g-MA elastomer and nanoclay,” Flame Retardancy and Thermal Stability Materials, (2018), 1: 25-38, doi: 10.1515/flret-2018-0003.
8. H. Wu, M. Krifa, J. H. Koo, “Rubber (SEBS-G-MA) Toughened Flame Retardant Polyamide 6: Microstructure, Combustion, Extension, and Izod Impact Behavior, Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering,” Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering, (2018).
9. J. H. Koo and T. Mensah, “Novel Polymer Nanocomposite Ablative Technologies for Thermal Protection of Propulsion and Reentry System for Space Application,” T. Mensah, B. Wang, J, Winter, and V. Davis, eds., Nanotechnology Commercialization: Manufacturing Processes and Products, Wiley, New York (2018), pp. 177-244, doi: 10.1002/9781119371762.ch6.
10. J. H. Koo, M. Natali et al., “Polymer Nanocomposites as Ablative Materials: A Comprehensive Review,” in Characterization of Nanocomposites: Technology and Industrial Applications, F. Abdi and M. Garg, eds., Pan Stanford Publishing, Singapore (2017), pp.159-214.
11. J. H. Koo, R. Ortiz, B. Ong, and H. Wu, “Polymer Nanocomposites for Laser Additive Manufacturing,” in Laser Additive Manufacturing: Materials, Design, Technologies, and Application, M. Brandt, ed., Woodhead Publishing Series in Electronic and Optical Materials Number 88, Elsevier, Oxford, UK (2017), pp. 205-235, doi: 10.1016/B978-0-08-100433-3.00008-7.
12. H. Wu, J. H. Koo et al., “Self-Extinguishing and Non-Drip Flame Retardant Polyamide 6 Nanocomposite: Mechanical, Thermal, and Combustion Behavior,” Flame Retardant and Thermal Stability of Materials, (2017), 1: 1-13, doi: 10.1515/flret-2018-0001.
13. J. Lewis, J. H. Koo et al., “Development of a Shear Char Strength Sensing Technique to Study Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomer Nanocomposites,” Polymer for Advanced Technologies (2017), doi: 10.4044.1002/pat.
14. M. Rallini, H. Wu, M. Natali, J. Koo, L. Torre, “Nanostructured phenolic matrices: Effect of different nanofillers on the thermal degradation properties and reaction to fire of a resol,” Fire and Materials (2017), doi:10.1002/fam.2425.
15. S. Rogalsky, J. H. Koo et al., “Structural, thermal and antibacterial properties of polyamide 11/polymeric biocide polyhexamethylene guanidine dodecylbenzeesulfonate composites,” J. of Materials Science, (2016), doi: 10.1007/s10853-016-0054-x.