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Professor Young Soo Yoon's Group in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering developed core materials for non-toxic direct ethanol fuel cells.

Professor Young Soo Yoon's research group (photo) from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering at our university has developed a core electrode material for ethanol fuel cells. This material addresses two key technical issues: ease of fuel transportation and non-toxicity to the human body during usage. This material was jointly developed by our university, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and Auburn University in the U.S. The research results were published last month in Advanced Functional Materials (IF 18.808, Q1 Materials Science Ranking 4.49%).

Although fuel cells have advantages such as high energy efficiency and low carbon emissions compared to other energy sources, there are challenges associated with each material, which makes their utilization challenging. In the case of hydrogen fuel cells, concerns about the transportation, storage, and safety of hydrogen have been obstacles to popularization. In the case of fuel cells that directly use methanol, the performance is somewhat lower than that of hydrogen. Additionally, there are technical problems such as the toxicity of the fuel and the requirement for a relatively large amount of platinum material. Although ethanol is a potential solution to the problems of hydrogen and methanol as fuel, it still faces technical barriers, including high platinum usage and a short lifespan.

The research group has developed a fuel electrode material that utilizes a small quantity of platinum and ethanol as fuel, in order to optimize fuel longevity. By developing core materials for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFC) that can effectively utilize ethanol as fuel, which was previously considered challenging, it has been determined that fuel cells have the potential to be applied in various fields in the future.

Professor Young Soo Yoon said, "Through this achievement, we expect our university to take the lead in nurturing experts in the fuel cell field." He added, "Professor Dimpul Konwar, a foreign research professor whom our university has continuously supported, is participating in this research, thus becoming a foreign professor." Professor Konwar Dimpul said, "It is also very meaningful to demonstrate our research capabilities."

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Professor Young-soo Yoon’s Group Selected for ‘Energy Manpower Training Project’

Professor Young-soo Yoon’s group, led by four graduate students from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Korea institute of energy technology evaluation and planning (KETEP), was selected consecutively for the ‘Global Manpower Training Project’ hosted by the Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning this year, following last year.

The selected students are doctoral course students Woon-ho Lee and Soo-hyung Kim, master's course student Ji-su Na and Jeong-hye Jo, and each student will receive a research grant of 100 million won and a total of 400 million won in research funding.

Participating graduate students must go abroad for at least six months to conduct practical research and publish one SCI thesis per student jointly with the other country based on the data acquired during this period.

Dispatched graduate students are provided with full expenses for living abroad, including J visa issuance fees, international student medical insurance, airfare and living expenses, as well as research expenses while staying in Korea and abroad.

The Global Manpower Training Project is a program in which graduate students develop themselves into advanced high-level human resources in the form of research and development in which graduate students directly design and carry out research promotion and methods, rather than passively cultivating human resources by simply following a planned plan.

Professor Young-soo Yoon's group was dispatched to the same program last year with 3 graduate students for 6 months, led by students who went on to doctoral programs at their alma mater. He made contributions at the level of associate research director for setting the direction of manpower training.

This project is a completely differentiated program from simple dispatches in the past as it is dispatched to a global institution and actively designed and conducted by students directly involved in international collaborative research. In particular, it is expected to be an opportunity for students to develop a sense of challenge, initiative, and boldness while adapting themselves to the complex administrative procedures of the other country.

Professor Young-soo Yoon said, “Students dispatched this time will grow into global innovative talents in the field of next-generation nuclear power who will lead K-Texonomy by studying for 6 months at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Auburn University, located in Alabama, USA. We plan to expand the joint advisor system, exchange of actual credits, joint degree examination and degree acquisition system, etc.”

Ha-eun Kang, a master’s student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, won the best paper presentation at the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Materials

Ha-Eun Kang (Advisor: Professor Young-Soo Yoon), a master’s student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, gave an oral presentation in the field of electrochemical energy conversion materials at the KIEEME Annual Autumn Conference 2022 held at The-K Hotel in Gyeongju on the 4th. Received the best presentation paper award.

In the oral session of this academic conference, student Ha-Eun Kang presented her research results on ‘CrAl coating technology and corrosion resistance improvement effect of metal separators for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells’ and received excellent reviews. This result is the result of advanced research during the period in which Ha-Eun Kang was sent to Auburn University in the United States with a full scholarship for 6 months. Based on the wettabillity and microstructure effect of the material surface, it was recognized that the scientific value was very high by suggesting that the possibility of corrosion of the metal surface could be reduced when exposed to the hydrogen fuel cell environment.

The 'Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Materials Fall Conference' is the largest academic event in Korea that shares research results in the field of electrical and electronic materials.

In particular, Ha-Eun Kang's award is a good example of how she can openly introduce her research in front of many scientific experts as well as have academic discussions. The fact that our master's course students competed with master's and doctoral students from leading universities in Korea and won the best thesis award for oral presentation shows that the level of graduate school is rapidly rising according to the steadily developing status of our university.

Professor Young-Soo Yoon said, “Ha-Eun Kang often explained her research in front of many science experts and received the grand prize for her outstanding research achievements. It shows that it has been improved to the highest level. We will continue to help graduate students advance into society by continuously improving graduate research and strengthening their capabilities.”

Graduate students of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering selected for excellence in poster and ceramography awards from the Korean Ceramic Society

Graduate students of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (advisor: Professor Young-soo Yoon) of our university are drawing attention by winning prizes at the 2022 Korea Ceramic Society Autumn Conference held at COEX, Seoul from the 26th to the 28th of last month. The Fall Conference of the Korean Ceramic Society is a large-scale conference with about 1,400 researchers registered to participate.

Master's course students Jeong-hye Jo, Hyeong-woo Min, Ha-eun Kang, and So-hyun Park presented the results of research on new materials applicable to next-generation secondary batteries, fuel cells, and displays, and received the Yangsong Poster Award Excellence Award and the KCerS Excellent Poster Award, respectively.

Young-ah Park, a Ph.D. student, won the ‘Yangsong Ceramography-2022’ award, which comprehensively evaluates the originality and possibility of contributing to academic development in microstructure field related to ceramics. Student Young-ah Park received a good evaluation by submitting ‘NAKED EARTH’, which was produced based on the data acquired during the research.

The ‘Journal of Korean Ceramic Society’, published by the Korea Ceramic Society as an internationally recognized science and technology society, is an internationally renowned academic journal that ranks in the top 30% of materials and ceramics based on Web of Science standards. Professor Young-soo Yoon said, “The fact that graduate students achieve good grades at internationally renowned science and technology conferences is proof that the quality level of our university continues to rise.”

Professor Young-soo Yoon received the Academic Contribution Gold Award from the Korean Society of Ceramics in recognition of his laboratory's graduate students' academic contributions.

Jongwoo Kim, M.S candidate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, develops the original technology for accident-resistant cladding for securing nuclear stability and mass production of green hydrogen

Kim Jong-woo, a graduate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 4 semesters of Master's Degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Prof. Young-soo Yoon's laboratory developed the original technology for Accident Tolerent Fuel Cladding (ATFC), a core technology for maximizing safety considered as the biggest issue in nuclear power generation.

The results of this study, which presented the technology for stabilizing the interior of the cladding, were published in the May issue of Journal of Nuclear Materials (first published in 1959), the world's second-ranked academic journal in the nuclear field.

After the Fukushima nuclear accident, in the midst of unlimited technology competition to secure the safety of nuclear power around the world, the ATFC technology adopted by the nuclear powerhouses America, France and Korea is based on coating.

The technology proposed through a change of thinking by student Jong-Woo Kim has the characteristics of being superior to the existing coating technology in reliability, productivity, economic efficiency and Q/C.

In particular, as the technology transformation of nuclear power plants from large to small reactors and long-cycle types is being attempted, this technology is also expected to be applicable to nuclear submarines and special marine vessels, which will have a great economic effect. In addition, high-combustion nuclear power generation is possible, so it is attracting attention as a core technology for future-type nuclear power plants in which the reduction of high-level nuclear waste is important.

Professor Youngsoo Yoon's laboratory has been focusing on the development of this technology with originality differentiated from existing methods for the past 6 years. This year, in recognition of its technological differentiation, it received a research grant of 610 million won (2 years and 6 months) from the Ministry of Science and ICT as a core technology to secure the stability of nuclear power plants

Professor Young-soo Yoon said, “This achievement is the result of maximizing the research capabilities of graduate students that our university has continuously supported. It increased the possibility of training and technology transfer.”