'Extreme Materials' for Space and Hydrogen... Establishing Domestic Production Foundation with 300 Billion Won Investment

Ministry of Science and ICT's 'Extreme Materials Demonstration Research Infrastructure Project' Passes Preliminary Feasibility Study
Establishing Experimental Production and Evaluation Facilities by 2028

Liquid hydrogen storage facility. Photo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Spaceships, liquid hydrogen, and gas turbines require 'extreme materials' that can withstand ultra-high temperatures, cryogenic conditions, and ultra-high pressures. The government will invest 310 billion KRW to develop foundational core technologies for the localization of these materials, which are expected to see high demand in the future.

On the 22nd, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the "Extreme Materials Demonstration Research Infrastructure Project" has passed the preliminary feasibility study and will be fully launched starting next year.

Extreme materials refer to national strategic materials used in extreme environments such as ultra-high temperatures, cryogenic temperatures, ultra-high pressures, oxidation, and corrosion. They are utilized in aerospace satellite launch vehicles, liquid hydrogen storage, and ultra-high temperature gas turbines. For example, materials used in recently developed satellite launch vehicles like Nuriho must withstand ultra-high temperatures exceeding 2000 degrees Celsius. Even for storing liquid hydrogen, which is gaining attention as a renewable energy source to combat global warming, materials capable of enduring minus 253 degrees Celsius are required.

However, in South Korea, support has mainly focused on basic research, and there has been no infrastructure to connect demonstration research to actual product commercialization and business application, making it difficult to secure extreme materials. Demonstration research is the process of verifying and improving the field applicability and functional implementation of prototypes for commercialization of research and development results, targeting scale-up research at the prototype stage. For new materials used in launch vehicles, experiments are needed to test whether the developed materials can withstand similar environments, such as ultra-high temperatures (above 2000℃) combined with high pressure and oxidation, by evaluating mechanical properties (such as fatigue life) and thermal shielding effects and characteristics. However, South Korea lacked production, testing, and evaluation facilities necessary for such demonstration research. Consequently, companies requiring these extreme materials relied on overseas testing and evaluation institutions, and even then, it was difficult to outsource materials sensitive to national security abroad.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to establish a demonstration research infrastructure that companies and researchers can utilize for testing, evaluation, and pilot production of these extreme materials. From next year until 2028, a total budget of 309.65 billion KRW will be invested. Three facilities and 44 types of equipment for demonstrating extreme materials related to ultra-high temperature, cryogenic, and specific extreme conditions will be established in the Jinhae Advanced Industrial Research Complex near the Korea Institute of Materials Science in Changwon, Gyeongnam. Additionally, 28 urgent extreme materials demonstration research projects will be supported to aid development.

Through this, by 2028, the plan is to secure more than 10 world-class extreme materials, including metal powder materials for 3D printing of aircraft engine parts and insulation materials for liquid hydrogen storage containers. The project aims to enhance technological competitiveness and secure technological sovereignty by developing more than 60 prototype extreme materials that have completed demonstration.

Gu Hyuk-chae, Director of Basic Core Research Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "This project is expected to serve as a foothold for South Korea to secure high value-added materials used in future industries such as aerospace, hydrogen, and energy," adding, "We will continue to focus on supporting leading material development used in national strategic technologies including extreme materials, aerospace, semiconductors, and secondary batteries to respond to the future materials technology hegemony competition."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.