The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy hosted the "Global Graphene Technology Exchange Conference" on June 11-12 at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Seoul, bringing together experts from academia and industry both domestically and internationally.
Graphene is a two-dimensional material made of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure. It boasts superior electrical conductivity compared to copper and exceptional strength while remaining lightweight. As a result, it has been hailed as a potential "game changer" in advanced industries such as semiconductors, batteries, future mobility, and aerospace.
However, the high production costs and lack of mass production technology have limited its commercialization. Graphene was discovered in 2004, and while research has surged since then, practical applications in industry have been scarce.
Recently, the demand for high-performance heat dissipation and lightweight materials in advanced sectors like AI semiconductors, next-generation mobility, and aerospace has increased the necessity for graphene's commercialization. This conference was organized to facilitate discussions on the commercialization of graphene as a key material to address these needs.
Over 110 companies participated in the event, including the Graphene Flagship, Europe’s largest graphene research initiative, and the European Advanced Materials Innovation Initiative (IAM-I). Additionally, more than 20 one-on-one business matching sessions were conducted between demand companies, such as Airbus and Hyundai Mobis, and graphene suppliers, aiming to create practical commercialization opportunities.
Prior to the conference, the ministry held a regular meeting of the "Graphene Commercialization Promotion Team," which was established in September of last year, to review the graphene commercialization technology roadmap. The roadmap focuses on expanding application areas across advanced industries, starting with heat dissipation materials, next-generation battery electrode materials, aerospace shielding materials, and biosensor responsive materials. The ministry plans to announce the technology roadmap next month, incorporating global technological trends and industry feedback discussed at the event.
Choi Woo-hyuk, Director of Advanced Industry Policy at the Ministry, stated, "Graphene is a next-generation core material that will determine the competitiveness of advanced industries. It is crucial to move beyond research and development to commercialization and market leadership. We will systematically support technology development, demand linkage, and proof-of-concept based on the graphene commercialization technology roadmap by establishing a global industry-academia-research cooperation platform."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.