Sookmyung startup Labincube brings Nobel-winning material into everyday use

This diagram illustrates how Labincubes CUBRIX technology controls particle structure and surface charge to selectively capture protect and release molecules using MOF-based materials Courtesy of Sookmyung Womens University — This diagram illustrates how Labincube's CUBRIX technology controls particle structure and surface charge to selectively capture, protect, and release molecules using MOF-based materials. Courtesy of Sookmyung Women's University

SEOUL, October 13 (AJP) - A startup from Sookmyung Women's University has brought a Nobel Prize-winning scientific material into people’s daily lives. Labincube, founded by Professor Choi Kyung-min from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, became the first company to use Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) materials in consumer products such as air purifiers and cosmetic fillers.

Professor Choi previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of UC Berkeley Professor Omar Yaghi, one of this year's Nobel Prize winners in chemistry. Building on that connection, Labincube, a subsidiary of Sookmyung’s technology holdings company, signed a technical advisory agreement with Professor Yaghi and succeeded in commercializing MOF-based products in 2024 for the first time anywhere in the world.

MOFs are porous materials that can selectively trap or separate specific molecules through tiny openings. They have mainly been used in fields like petrochemicals and semiconductors, but Labincube found a way to adapt them for consumer use, expanding their reach into home appliances, beauty products, and biotechnology.

In the home appliance sector, the company worked with LG Electronics to apply MOF materials to air purifiers that remove harmful gases and odors more effectively. In the beauty field, it incorporates MOFs into fillers and skin boosters to improve product stability and performance.

Labincube is also developing environmental products that remove moisture and carbon dioxide from the air, as well as bio-materials that could replace antibiotics and antihistamines. The company’s progress led to its selection for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' "Baby Unicorn" program this year, which supports promising early-stage startups.

Shin Ji-young, head of Sookmyung's Office of Industry-Academic Cooperation, said the achievement shows how the university's startup system can link world-class scientific research with technologies that improve daily life. She noted that as Sookmyung approaches its 120th anniversary in 2026, it is continuing to evolve as a research-driven university that connects basic science with practical innovation.

Professor Choi said that Nobel-winning science often feels distant from everyday experience, but MOF technology is different. It is already being used in air purifiers and bio-materials, he said, adding that it is meaningful that a South Korean university startup was the first in the world to make this possible.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com