INEWS24

A key mechanism that can dramatically improve the performance of all-solid-state batteries has been discovered by a domestic research team, drawing attention. An all-solid-state battery is a battery that replaces the existing flammable liquid 'electrolyte' that transfers ions between the positive and negative electrodes with a solid one. It is known as a next-generation battery because it is free from the risk of explosion and has high energy density. The National Research Foundation of Korea (Chairman Hong Won-hwa) announced on the 16th that Professor Kim Dong-wan's research team at Korea University developed a new process that can maximize the performance of lithium argyrodite-based solid electrolyte, a key material for next-generation all-solid- state batteries, and discovered the mechanism for improving performance. Lithium argyrodite, a sulfide-based lithium-ion conductor with high ion conductivity, is considered a key material for the development of a...

A technology has been developed to produce hydrogen using sugarcane waste and sunlight. The Ulsan Institute of Science (UNIST) Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering Professors Jang Ji-wook and Seo Kwan-yong's team, together with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering Professor Cho Seung-ho's team, have developed a technology that can produce hydrogen using biomass from sugarcane waste and silicon photoelectrodes. This technology produces hydrogen using only sunlight without external power, and the hydrogen production speed is four times faster than the commercialization standard set by the U.S. Department of Energy. Schematic diagram of a high-efficiency dual hydrogen production system using only sunlight. [Photo = UNIST] Hydrogen does not emit greenhouse gases when burned. It is a next-generation fuel that can store 2.7 times more energy per weight than gasoline. Most of the hydrogen currently produced is extracted from natu...

LG Electronics announced on the 15th that it has released a new stand air conditioner 'Whisen Cool' that applies empathy intelligence (AI). LG Electronics has introduced a new stand air conditioner 'Whisen Cool' that applies empathy intelligence (AI), such as 'AI Wind' and 'AI Dry'. [Photo = LG Electronics] Whisen Cool is equipped with 'AI Wind' that provides optimal wind by AI learning the customer's living environment and usage pattern. It also takes hygiene management into consideration with 'AI Dry' that automatically dries any moisture that may remain inside after use. Whisen Cool is available as a subscription to reduce the hassle of management and even take hygiene into consideration. Care experts visit regularly to systematically perform management such as △disassembly and cleaning △filter cleaning and replacement △cooling performance inspection. The cleaning process enhances the sterilization effect wi...

A new treatment for lung cancer has opened. It is expected to enter clinical trials in 2028. The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (immunotherapy) that help our body's immune cells better attack cancer cells has brought about a groundbreaking leap forward in cancer treatment. In reality, less than 20% of all patients respond. There is an urgent need for new treatment strategies for patients who respond or do not respond to immunotherapy. A KAIST research team discovered DDX54, a key factor that induces resistance to immunotherapy by suppressing the infiltration of immune cells into cancer tissue when lung cancer cells acquire the ability to evade immunity. [Photo = KAIST] A research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has discovered a key factor (DDX54) that interferes with immunotherapy for the first time, opening a new path for lung cancer treatment. This technology has been transferred to the faculty st...

The share of clean energy sources such as nuclear power, hydropower, solar power, and wind power in the global power grid has exceeded 40% for the first time ever. On the other hand, the share of solar power generation in Korea was only 5% last year. It only increased by 1 percentage point over the past three years compared to 4% in 2021. The share of total renewable energy generation in Korea was also recorded at 10%, which is very low compared to the global average of 32%. A wind turbine at Wolyeong Port in Hallim-eup, Jeju-do, turns in the sunset. [Photo=Reporter Jeong Jong-oh] According to the 'Global Electricity Review 2025' published by Ember, a global energy think tank, the share of clean power sources that do not emit greenhouse gases in global power generation in 2024 was recorded at 40.9%, exceeding 40% for the first time ever. This is the first recorded figure since the 1940s. The main growth engine was the expansion of renewab...

A perovskite solar cell that can last 1,000 hours even in a steamer-like environment has been developed. A protective film was applied to the cell. Professor Dong-Seok Kim's team at the Carbon Neutral Graduate School of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Professor Tae-Kyung Lee's team at Gyeongsang National University developed a heat-resistant perovskite solar cell that can withstand high-temperature processes by applying a protective film to the solar cell. This cell showed a high initial efficiency of 25.56%. It maintained more than 85% of the initial efficiency even after operating for 1,000 hours at 85℃ and 85% relative humidity . Photoelectric conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cell cells and modules made with added ethylene carbonate. The cell using ethylene carbonate (target) showed a higher photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) than the cell using tBP (control). [Photo = UNIST] Perovskite solar cel...

The Soyuz spacecraft is being launched on the 8th. [Photo = NASA] At 8:30 PM on the 8th (Korean time), the Soyuz spacecraft carrying Korean-American Jonny Kim docked with the International Space Station (ISS), opened its hatch, and greeted the astronauts on board. At 2:47 PM, the Soyuz spacecraft (Soyuz MS-27) was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A total of three people, including Jonny Kim and two Russian astronauts, were on board this manned spacecraft. They docked to the ISS that day, opened the hatch at 8:30 PM, and greeted the astronauts on board. Jonny Kim hugged his ISS colleagues as he made his second appearance on the Soyuz. At 2:47 PM on the 8th, the Soyuz spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is docking with the ISS. [Photo = NASA] These three astronauts will stay on the ISS for about eight months before returning to Earth in December, performing missions such as scientifi...