Jeonbuk National University (JBNU)’s 'low-oxygen MAX synthesis method' technology will be commercialized through Technology Transfer to LOTI Co., Ltd., a leading company in the titanium alloy powder sector.

To this end, JBNU Industry-University Cooperation (Director Son Jeong-min) signed a Technology Transfer agreement with LOTI Co., Ltd. on the 16th at 4:00 p.m. The Technology Transfer agreement ceremony was attended by JBNU Industry-University Cooperation Director Son Jeong-min, LOTI Co., Ltd. Vice President Hwang-jin Kang, and the technology's developer, Professor Jae-won Lim (Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, College of Engineering).

LOTI Co., Ltd. is a faculty start-up company founded in 2021 by Professor Jae-won Lim of JBNU. It possesses world-class manufacturing technology for low-oxygen, high-flowability titanium alloy powders for 3D printing, applying proprietary deoxidation and innovative surface modification technologies.

The transferred 'low-oxygen MAX synthesis method' is a core technology for synthesizing MAX materials—the precursors of the two-dimensional material MXene—in a low-oxygen state. When manufacturing MXene, electrical conductivity improves by more than 50%, an innovation that can expand MXene's range of applications.

MXene is a two-dimensional nanomaterial composed of alternating metal and carbon layers. It has high electrical conductivity and can be combined with various compounds, making it applicable to numerous fields such as electromagnetic shielding, batteries, catalysts, electronic devices, and sensors—earning it the reputation of a 'dream' new material. However, conventional MAX materials contain a large amount of oxygen, which reduces the electrical conductivity of MXene.

To overcome this drawback, Professor Jae-won Lim developed a core technology that applies a proprietary deoxidation process to synthesize low-oxygen MAX materials.

LOTI Co., Ltd., the recipient of the technology, plans to mass-produce low-oxygen MAX materials to reduce manufacturing costs and to pursue commercialization of MXene by conducting research on various applications—particularly electromagnetic shielding using the two-dimensional MXene material.

Professor Jae-won Lim said, "MXene is primarily a two-dimensional plate-like material of titanium carbide, expected to have diverse applications such as electromagnetic shielding, secondary batteries, and gas sensors. MXene is produced from its precursor, MAX, and low-oxygen MAX can improve MXene's electrical conductivity, enabling broader application and improved properties. LOTI Co., Ltd. will work to commercialize the material through mass production and cost reduction of low-oxygen MAX, contributing to domestic industrial development."

Meanwhile, LOTI Co., Ltd. signed an investment agreement with the Korea Technology Finance Corporation in June 2023 and recently entered an investment agreement with Bliss Vine Ventures Co., Ltd. Through Bliss Vine Ventures' recommendation, it was selected for the TIPS program project under the Startup Growth Technology Development Program.

TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) is a private investment–led technology start-up support program in which the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and private investors jointly select and intensively nurture promising start-ups that possess market-leading technologies and items. Through this selection, LOTI Co., Ltd. will receive up to KRW 500 million in R&D funding over two years to carry out the project 'Development of High-Value-Added Recycling Technology for Titanium Waste Powder for 3D Printing.'

Director Son Jeong-min of JBNU Industry-University Cooperation said, "This Technology Transfer agreement will be an exemplary Lab-to-Market case in which university technology leads to commercialization by an outstanding faculty start-up company," adding, "We will continue to spare no effort and support to build a virtuous cycle model of technology commercialization unique to JBNU through sustained generation of research outcomes and support for securing rights to technologies."