- Development of 3D bioprinting ink that induces tissue regeneration without photocuring - Expected applications including patient-specific regenerative treatment technologies, such as artificial organs The development of biomaterials for artificial organs and tissues is active due to an increase in accidental injuries and chronic diseases, along with the entry into a super-aged society. 3D bioprinting technology, which uses cells and biomaterials to create three-dimensional artificial tissue structures, has recently gained popularity. However, commonly used hydrogel-based bioinks can cause cytotoxicity due to the chemical crosslinking agent and ultraviolet light that connect the molecular structure of photocuring 3D-printed bioink. Dr. Song Soo-chang's research team at the Center for Biomaterials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Yoon Seok-jin), revealed the first development of poly(organophosphazene) hydrogel-based temperature-sensitive bioink that stably maintained its physical structure only by temperature control without photocuring, induced tissue regeneration, and then biodegraded in the body after a certain period of time. [Figure 1] TUNING MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BIOINK ACCORDING TO TEMPERATURE AND 3D SCAFFOLD PRINTING Current hydrogel-based bioinks must go through a photocuring process to enhance the mechanical properties of the 3D scaffold after printing, with a high risk of adverse effects in the human body. In addition, there have been possibility of side effects by transplanting externally cultured cells within bioink to increase the tissue regeneration effect. Accordingly, the research team developed a new bioink material using a temperature-sensitive poly(organophosphazene) hydrogel, which existed in a liquid form at low temperatures and changed to a hard gel at body temperature. This enabled the regeneration of tissues only by temperature control without chemical crosslinking agents or UV irradiation and the manufacture of a three-dimensional scaffold with a physically stable structure, minimizing the possibility of immune adverse effects in the human body. [Figure 2] Biodegradation and bone regeneration effects after implanting the 3D-printed scaffold with bioink to the bone-damaged area The developed bioink also had a molecular structure that could interact with growth factors, which were proteins that help in tissue regeneration to preserve growth factors that regulated cell growth, differentiation, and immune responses for a long period of time. The research team was able to maximize the effect of tissue regeneration by creating an environment in which cell differentiation could be autonomously regulated within the 3D scaffold printed with bioink. The research team fabricated the 3D scaffold by printing it with a 3D bioprinter using bioink containing transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), which were required for cell infiltration and bone regeneration, and conducted an experiment by implanting it into a damaged bone in a rat. As a result, cells from the surrounding tissue were migrated into the scaffold, and the defected bone was regenerated to a normal tissue level, and the implanted 3D scaffold slowly biodegraded in the body over 42 days. [Figure 3] Image selected as the inside back cover Dr. Song Soo-Chang of KIST said, "The research team has transferred technology for the thermo-sensitive polyphosphazene hydrogel to NexGel Biotech Co., Ltd. in June 2022, and the development of products such as bone graft materials and cosmetic fillers is underway." "As the bioink developed this time has different physical properties, follow-up research to apply it to the regeneration of other tissues besides bone tissue is being conducted, and we expect to finally be able to commercialize bioink tailored to each tissue and organ," he said. ### KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://eng.kist.re.kr/ This research was conducted through the KIST Major Projects supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong-ho), and the research results were published as the inside back cover in the latest issue of "Small" (IF: 15.153, top 7.101% in the JCR field), an international academic journal in the field of materials. Journal : Small Title : Thermo-Responsive Nanocomposite Bioink with Growth-Factor Holding and its Application to Bone Regeneration Publication Date : 1-Mar-2023 DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202203464 Public

- KIST developed an annealing activated carbon that improves the adsorption efficiency of nitrogen-containing odorous compounds by up to 38 times - The multidentate adsorption mechanism of nitrogen-containing odorous gases such as ammonia was revealed for the first time Odorous gases, which are unpleasant and strongly irritating to the eyes, nose, and respiratory tract, are ubiquitous in facilities such as septic tanks, sewage systems, livestock farms, and waste disposal plants. These gases exert a negative impact on the human body as well as the surrounding environment, thus numerous ways have been developed to eliminate them. Typical odor removal methods use activated carbon as an adsorbent. However, activated carbon has low recyclability, making it difficult to remove the sources of complex odorous gases for reuse. [Figure 1] ADSORPTION MECHANISMS OF HEAT-DRIED ACTIVATED CARBON AND ADSORPTION PERFORMANCE OF NITROGEN-CONTAINING ODOROUS COMPOUNDS A research team led by Dr. Jiwon Lee and Youngtak Oh of the Sustainable Environment Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Seok-Yeol Yoon) announced that they developed an activated carbon manufacturing technology that dramatically improves the removal of four representative nitrogen-containing odorous compounds (NOCs) from air: ammonia, ethylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine. Not only did the research team improve the adsorption efficiency of activated carbon for removing odor substances, but they have also discovered the adsorption mechanism between adsorbents and odorous gases, making it possible to develop a wider variety of adsorbents for complex odor substances. The research team was able to precisely control the degree of surface oxidation to increase the adsorption efficiency of NOCs through an thermal annealing process after oxidizing the activated carbon with nitric acid. They found that the most oxidized heat-treated activated carbon could increase the removal efficiency of odor substances by up to 38 times compared to conventional activated carbon. For the first time, the researchers revealed that the oxygen atoms on the surface of oxidized activated carbon form strong hydrogen bonds with the amines in nitrogen-containing odor molecules. This finding reflects the principle of optimizing the adsorption effect of NOCs by increasing the degree of oxidation so that more hydrogen bonds can be formed with amines on the surface of activated carbon. Furthermore, the research team also demonstrated that unlike typical gas reactions, the interaction between the adsorbent and odor substances was primarily influenced by the number of hydrogen bonds, rather than proton affinity. [Figure 2] DFT calculation result and nitrogen-containing odorous compound selectivity of heat-dried activated carbo Furthermore, thermally dried activated carbon(TDAC) was found increase selectivity for trimethylamine by more than 13 times. This result represents a substantial improvement, as trimethylamine has the lowest adsorption efficiency among conventional NOCs. Trimethylamine, a designated odor substance regulated by law in Korea, is a typical source of odors in agriculture, landfills, and sewage and waste water treatment plants. In particular, the heat-dried activated carbon has an average recyclability of 93.8% for trimethylamine, showing high economic efficiency compared to the 63% recyclability of conventional activated carbon. "By identifying the adsorption mechanism of odorous gases, we can develop materials that are specialized for removing specific gases, and heat-dried activated carbon, which undergoes an oxidation process, is relatively simple to produce and can be reused. Thus, it can be applied as a material for purification devices such as filters and masks,” claimed Dr. Jiwon Lee of KIST. ### KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://eng.kist.re.kr/ This research was conducted through the KIST Major Projects supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the results were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production (IF: 11.072, top 8.423% in JCR), an international journal in the environmental science field. Journal : Journal of Cleaner Production Title : Adsorption Enhancement of Hazardous Odor Gas using Controlled Thermal Oxidation of Activated Carbon Publication Date : 20-Mar-2023 DOI : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136261 T

- A KIST research team succeeds in the development of a simplified CO2 conversion process without a CO2 capture process - Outperforms conventional CO2 conversion technology in terms of economic feasibility and environmental impact The issue of achieving the target of net-zero CO2 emissions has emerged as a matter of future survival of mankind, with the impact of climate change causing a palpable sense of crisis in the everyday lives of people. The technology of Carbon dioxide Capture Utilization and Storage(CCUS), one of the methods for achieving net-zero CO2 emissions has drawn attention as an innovative technology for reducing CO2 emissions. CCUS is the very technology for which Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc., announced his funding of $100 million in prize money over four years starting in 2021. However, the high energy consumption required in the process of purification, pressurization, separation, and reuse of CO2 poses a challenge to the industrial application of these technologies in practice. The research team led by Drs. Ung Lee and Da Hye Won at the Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Seok Jin Yoon), announced that they succeeded in developing a process for producing high-value-added synthesis gas (syngas) by direct electrochemical conversion of CO2 captured using a liquid absorbent. The research achievement is expected to provide a cost-effective solution for CCUS technology, which has restricted wider applications of the technology. [Figure 1] Schematic diagram comparing the novel CO2 utilization technology(the proposed reaction swing absorption(RSA) pathway) with conventional CCU pathways The CO2 conversion process developed by the research team utilizes the CO2 captured in a liquid absorbent; in this way, the conventional CCU pathways with complex and energy-consuming processes of purification and pressurization of CO2 for pure gaseous CO2 production are no longer needed. For this reason, the proposed method outperforms the conventional CCUS technology, with superior cost-effectiveness and enhanced effect of reducing CO2 emissions. In addition, since unreacted CO2 is still captured in the liquid absorbent, there is no need for an additional separation process with syngas, a product from the pathway; another advantage is that the ratio of hydrogen to CO in the syngas can be more easily controlled. [Figure 2] Simplified CO2 conversion process Also, the research team was able to maximize the efficiency of the direct CO2 conversion in the liquid phase by conducting experiments for selecting the best absorbent, optimizing the catalyst, designing electrochemical reactor as well as testing long-term stability. In addition, simulation studies with numerical modeling of the industrial-scale process were also carried out to examine the feasibility of commercialization of the developed process. Furthermore, through techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment, it is estimated that the newly developed CO2 conversion process will be able to reduce production costs by 27.0% and CO2 emissions by 75.7% compared to the conventional CCUS technology. [Figure 3] Schematic of the novel electrochemical CO2 reduction technology(RSA pathway) In addition, the proposed technology demonstrated an equivalent level of competitive price when compared to the current market price of chemicals dominated by fossil fuel-based technologies. In particular, in the case of syngas, the production cost was reduced by 27.02% compared to the conventional process (reduction of the production cost from $0.89/kg to $0.65/kg, and CO2 emissions from 1.13kg CO2/kg to 0.27kg CO2/kg. If the developed CO2 conversion process is applied to a major CO2 emission source such as a thermal power plant, the proposed technology is expected to be able to produce high-value chemicals such as ethylene at a low cost while reducing CO2. Dr. Da Hye Won, a senior research scientist at KIST, reported, “The significance of the proposed technology lies in that we have achieved technological progress in the efficient production of high-concentration syngas through the electrochemical process by utilizing captured CO2.” Dr. Ung Lee, the principal research scientist at KIST, commented, “We expect that the proposed technology will be applicable to a range of electrochemical conversion systems that utilize CO2, and we plan to move onto the next stage of continuous process demonstration and verification as well as technology transfer to business entities in the future.” ### KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://eng.kist.re.kr/ This research was conducted as a part of the “Carbon to X project for the production of useful materials” with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong-Ho), and the results were published in Nature Communications (IF 17.694, JCR 7.432%), a world-renowned scientific journal, on December 5, 2022. Journal : Nature Communications Title : Toward economical application of carbon capture and utilization technology with near-zero carbon emission Publication Date : 5-Dec-2022 DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35239-9

- KIST Developed Game-Changing Super Fiber-Carbon Nanotubes Added to "Golden Fiber" Aramid to Create Conductive "Black Fiber" Aramid fiber is known as "super fiber" or "golden silk" because even though its weight is equivalent to only 20% of the weight of steel, it is more than five times as strong and does not burn, even at 500 °C. Aramid fiber is an essential material used in various applications such as body armor, fire-resistant clothing, fiber optic cable reinforcement, high-performance tires, and aerospace materials. The late Dr. Han-Sik Yun began researching aramid fiber at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in 1979 and secured independent source technology in 1984. [Figure 1] "Black fiber" created from a mixture of aramid polymers and carbon nanotubes Dr. Dae-Yoon Kim and his research team at the Functional Composite Materials Research Center within the KIST Jeonbuk Institute of Advanced Composite Materials announced that they have applied carbon nanotubes to aramid fibers to develop a new kind of composite fiber. In addition to being lightweight, strong, and fire-resistant, the fiber also has electrical conductivity, which is a first for conventional aramid fibers. The newly developed fiber is black in color due to the presence of carbon nanotubes. [Figure 2] Mechanical and electrical properties of "black fiber" Inspired by the characteristics of a silkworm cocoon, the KIST research team succeeded in combining aramid, which has extremely low dispersibility, with carbon nanotubes. By utilizing the liquid crystal phase, silkworms produce high-strength fiber using high-concentration protein. Possessing both liquid-like fluidity and crystal-like order, the liquid crystal minimizes the coagulation of aramid and carbon nanotubes as well as improves the alignment. Utilizing these characteristics, the research team created a new type of composite fiber with high level of specific strength similar to that of existing commercial aramid fibers, as well as a specific electrical conductivity level of approximately 90% of that of copper wires. [Figure 3] Schematic of the key elements for "black fiber" development and examples of its application as a wire for energy distribution Despite these electrical characteristics, this next-generation aramid fiber does not use any metals, resulting in flexibility, non-corrosiveness, and a lightweight profile (approximately 30% of the weight of copper wires). It is expected to be used as a next-generation wire in various applications, such as smart military, medical robots, eco-friendly mobility, and aerospace technologies. Dr. Dae-Yoon Kim added, "This technology will have a significant impact on the super fiber market." ### KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://eng.kist.re.kr/ This research was supported by KIST's K-Lab program and NRF's Excellent Young Research Program and was published in Advanced Fiber Materials (IF: 12.924, JCR 1.923%), a prestigious international academic journal in the field of fiber. Journal : Advanced Fiber Materials Title : Boost Up the Mechanical and Electrical Property of CNT Fibers by Governing Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Mesophases with Aramid Polymers for Robust Lightweight Wiring Applications Publication Date : 13-Dec-2022 DIO : https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-022-00246-4

- A new process and principle for one-pot room-temperature synthesis of solid electrolytes - A breakthrough to reduce the manufacturing cost of all-solid-state batteries and solve interface problems. The all-solid-state battery is a secondary battery with a solid electrolyte between the anode and cathode. It is considered a representative of next-generation battery technology due to its high energy density and significantly lower risk of fire and explosion than conventional lithium-ion batteries. In recent years, materials research in the field of all-solid-state batteries has been focused on strategies to maximize material crystallinity to achieve ionic conductivity similar to that of liquid electrolytes (ionic conductivity of 10 mS/cm or more). However, this approach requires a high-temperature crystallization step (above 500 °C) of up to several days after material mixing or reaction. It resulted in high process costs and battery interface contact issues due to reduced mechanical deformability. Dr. Hyoungchul Kim's research team at the Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Seok Jin Yoon), announced that they have successfully synthesized a solid electrolyte with superionic conductivity and high elastic deformability in a one-pot process at room temperature and normal pressure. This research has garnered attention because it can maximize the productivity of all-solid-state battery materials and solve the inherent interface problem by improving elastic deformation. [Figure 1] Summary of new technology to control ionic conductivity and elastic modulus by forming fully halogenated argyrodites. By controlling the halogenation rate, a solid electrolyte was synthesized for all-solid-state batteries was synthesized; this electrolyte maximizes ionic conductivity while having a low elastic modulus Dr. Kim's research team focused on the crystallographic features of the argyrodite sulfides to synthesize a highly deformable and ionically conductive solid-state electrolyte material under normal temperature and pressure conditions. Theoretically, ionic conductivity can be maximized by maximizing the halogen substitution rate at the 4a and 4c sites in the argyrodite crystal, but the material has never been practically synthesized due to its thermodynamic instability. In addition, typical crystalline argyrodite superconductors require high-temperature heat treatment above 500 °C. Therefore, the halogen substitution rate cannot be maximized, and the elastic modulus decreases with increasing crystallinity, leading to rapid degradation of cell performance. In contrast, without high-temperature heat treatment, a low elastic modulus similar to that of glass can be obtained; however, the ionic conductivity remains around 3 mS/cm, limiting its applicability as a solid-state electrolyte. [Figure 2] Illustration of a highly elastic and superionic-conductive solid electrolyte synthesized by the room-temperature and normal-pressure one-pot process developed by KIST researchers, which is representative of a unique next-generation all-solid-state battery technology. This was selected as the front cover of Advanced Functional Materials The research team came up with a new strategy to obtain a thermodynamically unstable structure (i.e., fully halogenated argyrodite) that takes advantage of both crystalline and glassy properties. They developed a composition control method to lower the crystallization temperature of argyrodite as well as a new two-step mechanochemical milling process suitable for the lower crystallization temperature. This facilitated the synthesis of a fully halogen-substituted (~90.67% substitution) argyrodite with a superionic conductivity of ~13.23 mS/cm without a long high-temperature annealing. The synthesized material also possesses an elastic modulus of about 12.51 GPa, which is one of the lowest reported values for superionic-conductive solid electrolytes, and this is also advantageous for improving the interfacial performance of all-solid-state batteries. Moreover, the new one-pot process at room temperature and normal pressure can be completed in less than 15 h, which is the highest productivity for any solid electrolyte with superionic conductivity. This is a unique achievement, with material productivity that is approximately 2-6 times higher than those of conventional processes for synthesizing superconductive solid electrolytes. "We have succeeded in developing a new solid electrolyte material with high deformability and ionic conductivity through a new process at normal temperature and pressure," said Dr. Kim of KIST, who led the research. He also expressed his expectation, saying, "The new material will serve as a trigger for the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries suitable for electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS) because it has maximized material productivity by eliminating the high-temperature heat treatment and simultaneously possesses high deformability and superionic conductivity suitable for solving the problem of the electrode interface of all-solid-state batteries." ### KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://eng.kist.re.kr/ This research was supported by the KIST Institutional Program and the Mid-Career Researcher Support Project funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Jong-Ho Lee), and by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Chang-Yang Lee) for the development of lithium-based next-generation secondary battery performance enhancement and manufacturing technology. The results were published in Advanced Functional Materials (IF: 19.924, top 4.658% in JCR) recently. Journal : Advanced Functional Materials Title : Annealing-Free Thioantimonate Argyrodites with High Li-Ion Conductivity and Low Elastic Modulus Publication Date : 22-Dec-2022 DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202211185

- Carbon fiber paper is used instead of copper thin film to achieve long-term stability and high energy density for lithium metal batteries Owing to the worldwide trend of utilizing electric vehicles, there has been a rise in demand for next-generation secondary batteries with higher capacity and faster charging than the lithium-ion batteries currently in use. Lithium metal batteries have been recognized as promising rechargeable batteries because lithium metal anode exhibits theoretical capacity 10 times higher than commercial graphite anode. During charging-discharging processes, however, lithium dendrites grow on the anode, leading to poor battery performance and short-circuit. Dr. Sungho Lee, Head of the Carbon Composite Materials Research Center of the KIST Jeonbuk Institute of Advanced Composition Materials (President Dr. Seok-Jin Yoon, Director General Jin-Sang Kim) and Professor KwangSup Eom, the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST, Acting President Rae-Gil Park), have developed a technology to improve the durability using carbon fiber paper as the anode material for lithium metal batteries. The KIST-GIST joint research team replaced the lithium metal-coated copper thin film with a thin carbon fiber paper containing lithium metal. The developed carbon fiber paper possessed hierarchical structure on the carbon monofilament composed of amorphous carbon and inorganic nanoparticles, resulting in enhancing the lithium affinity and preventing the growth of lithium dendrite. Although copper thin film anode short-circuits after approximately 100 cycles, the developed carbon fiber paper anode exhibits excellent cycling stability for 300 cycles. Furthermore, lithium metal battery using developed carbon fiber paper shows a high energy density of 428 Wh/kg, which is approximately 1.8 times higher than that using copper thin film (240 Wh/kg). From a process point of view, another advantage is to simplify the electrode manufacturing process because the molten lithium is quickly infused into the carbon fiber paper. Regarding the significance of this research, Dr. Sung-Ho Lee, Head of the Center at KIST, who led the research, said, "Considering the five times lower density and lower cost of carbon fiber compared to copper, our proposed anode material is an important achievement that can accelerate the commercialization of durable and lightweight lithium metal batteries." ### KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://eng.kist.re.kr/ This research was carried out as a KIST Institutional Program and a nanomaterial technology development project under the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong-ho). The results were published in the January issue of the international journal Advanced Energy Materials (IF=29.698, JCR top 2.464%). Journal : Advanced Energy Materials Title : Construction of Hierarchical Surface on Carbon Fiber Paper for Lithium Metal Batteries with Superior Stability Publication Date : 15-Jan-2023 DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202203770

- Achievement of a new breakthrough in assessing toxicity of chemicals - Development of a reliable in vitro cellular assessment tool for thyroid disruption evaluation As chemicals are widely used in human activities, there is a growing need for fast, inexpensive, and reliable toxicity assessment tools which can minimize the risks to the environment and human health. However, the use of traditional animal testing methods for evaluating chemical toxicity is becoming increasingly restricted due to ethical concerns over animal welfare. This has led to a rise in interest for alternative approaches – such as in vitro models – which are able to effectively evaluate chemical toxicity without the need for animal testing. Such approaches offer significant advantages in terms of cost, time, and ethical considerations, and can also provide more reliable data for assessing the potential risks of chemical exposure to both humans and the environment. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe (KIST Europe) has announced a new breakthrough in the field of environmental risk assessment with the development of a reliable in vitro cellular assessment tool for thyroid disruption evaluation. Dr. Youngjun Kim's research team from the Environmental Safety Group at KIST Europe has developed a three-dimensional (3D) cell aggregate model that can effectively evaluate the toxic effects of chemicals on thyroid function. While two-dimensional (2D) in-vitro systems have conventionally been employed as screening tools, the 3D cell culture model is expected to provide a more reliable and efficient alternative. Figure 1 Schematic of the method for formatting 3D cell model. Representative cytoskeletal structural images of monolayer and 3D-based culture models (F-actin, red; cell nucleus, blue). The study was conducted using thyroid-friendly soft (TS) microspheres on thyroid cell aggregates to evaluate their potential as a reliable toxicity assessment tool. Dr. Kim's team at KIST Europe (First author: senior researcher Dr. Indong Jun) demonstrated that the TS-microsphere-integrated thyroid cell aggregates exhibit improved thyroid function. This breakthrough provides a promising alternative to conventional animal testing and is expected to have a significant impact on the development of advanced in vitro assessment tools based on human cells that can be applied at various points to the human thyroid system. Dr. Jun was quoted as saying, "This is an exciting breakthrough in the field of toxicology. Our 3D cell culture model has the potential to revolutionize the way chemicals are tested for toxicity. We are excited to see how this model can be used in different industries to ensure the safety of the chemicals we use in our daily lives." With thyroid hormone (TH) disorders and endocrine-related diseases being increasingly attributed to chemical exposure, this new 3D model is expected to have a significant impact on the field. This approach can be used to control cellular function in any direction desired, enabling a more thorough assessment of thyroid function. The proposed TS microsphere integrated cell aggregates are expected to provide fundamental new insights that will advance in vitro cell-based research. In conclusion, this new breakthrough offers a promising solution to the challenges posed by conducting traditional animal testing to evaluate chemical toxicity. With the growing need for fast, inexpensive, and reliable toxicity assessment tools, this new tool for assessing thyroid disruption is expected to have a significant impact on the development of advanced in vitro assessment tools based on human cells that can be used at various stages of the thyroid system. This research was conducted as part of KIST Europe’s major research program. The research results were published online in the latest issue of SMALL, a world-renowned journal in the field of materials science (IF: 15.153; top 7.101% in JCR field).

- Electro-photonic tweezer captures and detects trace amount of nanoplastics through surface-enhanced Raman scattering - Application in safe water resource management technology Nanoplastics are plastics that have been discarded from our daily lives and that enter ecosystems in the size scale below 1 micro-metter after their physical and chemical disintegration. Recent research has shown that the concentration of microplastics in the major rivers in South Korea is the highest worldwide; it is not unusual to find news reports about the detection of microplastics in simple tea bags or drinking water and nanoplastic is the worse. The impact of micro/nanoplastics on human health and the environment in general is considered to be significant. However, the detection of nanoplastic is limited because their concentration is low and their size is extremely small. In addition, the detection process requires a few hours to days, and incurs significant costs during the pre-processing step of concentrating the plastic sample. The research team of Dr. Yong-sang Ryu at the Brain Research Institute of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) used an electro-photonic tweezer along with metal nanoparticles to concentrate ultrafine nanoplastics within a short period, and they reported the development of a real-time detection system using light. The research team supplied electricity to a large-area vertically-aligned metals sandwiched by nanofilm insulator. They conducted Raman spectroscopy, which analyzes the energy difference between the incident and scattered light according to the frequency of the molecule. By combination of two technique: electrical nanoparticle capture together with real-time Raman spectroscoy, the research team achive in-situ the detection of a 30-nm 10 μg L-1 polystyrene particle with the help of gold nanoplarticles via Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, the research team easily separated the particle from the sample through the dielectrophoresis phenomenon. Thus, the entire process including the collection, separation, and analysis for nanoplastics analysis, , which previously required at least one day, was drastically reduced to several seconds by employing an original technology that separates and detects plastics using one platform. Researchers Euitae Jeong and Dr. Eui-Sang Yu (common lead author) at KIST, who performed this research, reported that "the findings of this research are meaningful in that ultrahigh-sensitivity detection of microplastics in real-time has become possible, and the proposed approach can be extended to the measurement of the microplastic concentration in various water resources and applied as a water resource securement technology.“ This research was carried out as a major project of KIST with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Jongho Lee); the results have been reported as a cover paper in the latest international journal 「ACS Nano」 (IF: 18.027). Journal: ACS Nano Title: Real-time Underwater Nanoplastic Detection Beyond Diffusion Limit and Low Raman Scattering Cross-section via Electro-photonic Tweezers Publication Date: 27-Dec-2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c07933 ACS Nano front cover selection Raman-spectroscopy-based nanoplastic detection using the electric-optical tweezer and via surface-enhanced Raman scattering and the subsequent amplification of optical signals as well as the reduction of the accumulation time. Top right: Mimetic diagram of subsequent accumulation time reduction (blue: existing, red: current research) Bottom right: Mimetic diagram of subsequent amplification of optical signal accordingly (blue: existing, red: current research)

- KIST (CollaBot) received the ICSR 2022 best award in the "hardware, design, and interface" category. - A robotic library system that understands context and situations is proposed to provide comprehensive services. After competing in the finals with the University College London, which presented Bubble Worlds, the research team led by Dr. Sona Kwak from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST; President Seok Jin Yoon) presented "CollaBot" and received the best award in the "hardware, design, and interface" category at the Robot Design Competition hosted by the International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR) 2022, which was held at the Chamber of Commerce in Florence, Italy (December 13-16, 2022). Previous studies on social robots were primarily based on humanoid robots that understand the context of situations and provide a range of situation-specific services. However, the commercialization of humanoid robots that were expected to perform tasks similar to, if not above, the capabilities of an actual human, was inhibited because the humanoid robot did not function as well as expected. In addition, because robotic products focus solely on a specific function, they are limited in terms of providing a wide range of assistance adapted to a consumer's environment and situation. To address these limitations, the research team led by Dr. Kwak (KIST) developed a robotic library system (CollaBot) that understands situational context by integrating data collected by various robotic products, and offers context-customized assistance. This system comprising tables, chairs, bookshelves, and lights, provides a human-robot interaction based on the collaborations between different robotic products. The system environment is detailed as follows: the user's smartphone, door, robotic bookshelf, and robotic chair are all connected; hence, the user can search for and select a book of interest on their smartphone, and the selected book will automatically be brought out from the bookshelf. The chair functions as a ladder by moving near to the user and letting the user step on it or a cart by transporting several books. In other words, in addition to executing its original function, each system component also adapts its function depending on the environment to offer user-friendly assistance. Dr. Dahyun Kang of KIST, who designed the interaction of CollaBot said that "the proposed robotic system based on the collaboration between various robotic products provides physical assistance by applying robotics technology to the existing Internet of things to create a hyper-connected society. We expect that this type of system that offers practical assistance in our daily lives can pioneer a novel robotics market." This year's Robot Design Competition at the 13th ICSR was led by the award chair, Amit Kumar Pandey, who participated in the development of key social robots such as Sophia, Nao, and Pepper. This research was conducted via the KIST Institutional Program and KIST Technology Support Center Program. KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://eng.kist.re.kr/ CollaBot: robotic library A chair that alters its functions depending on the situation and context Model demonstrations of robotic library

- A novel membrane using a combination of a water filteration membrane and conductive polymer - Water quality improvement and continuous electricity generation using a simple operation method The purification of various water resources, such as rain, seawater, groundwater, river water, sewage, and wastewater, into potable or usable water is a high-energy process. So, what if electricity could be generated during the water purification process? In the spotlight, a domestic research team has developed a multifunctional membrane that can simultaneously generate electricity while purifying wastewater into drinking water. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Seok Jin Yoon) has announced that Dr. Ji-Soo Jang's team from the Electronic Materials Research Center and Prof. Tae-Gwang Yoon's team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Myongji University (President Byeong-Jin Yoo) have jointly developed an advanced membrane that can simultaneously provide drinking water and generate continuous electricity from various water resources, such as sewage/wastewater, seawater, and groundwater. The developed "sandwich-like" membrane is composed of a porous membrane that filters water at the bottom and a conductive polymer that generates electricity at the top. The membrane is designed to purify wastewater by controlling the direction of the water flow. Water flowing perpendicularly to the membrane generates direct current by the movement of ions along the horizontal direction. The membrane can reject more than 95% of the contaminants of sizes less than 10 nm (one hundred-millionth of a meter). Hence, microplastics and heavy metal particles in wastewater can be removed, and continuous electricity can be generated for more than 3 h with only 10 µl (microliter) of water. Since the membrane can be manufactured using a simple printing process without size restrictions, it has a high potential to be commercialized due to low manufacturing costs and processing time. The research team is currently conducting follow-up research to generate electricity while improving the water quality of wastewater to the level of drinking water by developing the membrane for an actual factory. Dr. Ji-Soo Jang from KIST expressed his opinion on the research saying that, "As a novel technology that can solve water shortage problem and produce ecofriendly energy simultaneously, it also has great potential applications in the water quality management system and emergency power system." This research was conducted as a major project of KIST with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Jong-Ho Lee). These research findings were published in the latest issue of 'Advanced Materials', an international journal of materials (IF: 32.086, top 2.17% in the JCR field), and were selected to be on the front cover of the issue. Journal: Advanced Materials Title: Bidirectional water-stream behavior on multifunctional membrane for simultaneous energy generation and water purification Publication Date: 9-Dec-2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202209076 Electricity generation and water purification membrane developed by the KIST-Myongji University joint research team Schematic illustration for the operation of the electricity generation and water purification membrane developed by KIST-Myongji University joint research team