Research and development using conductive materials such as graphene and boron nitride for electromagnetic shielding and heat-dissipation materials is actively underway. The key to developing high-performance materials lies in securing high conductive properties. Previously, achieving high conductivity required large amounts of conductive material, but the research team led by Professor Seong-ryun Kim at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) designed a composite that attains high conductive properties while using a small amount of conductive material by controlling the composite’s structure.

The core of this research is the precise control of the composite’s internal structure by using two polymers with different melting points. Using this approach, the team realized a "segregated structure" in which the conductive material is concentrated in specific regions.

In experimental results, the researchers achieved outstanding figures: with only 9% filler content, an electromagnetic shielding performance of 40 dB and a thermal conductivity of 7 W/m·K. Furthermore, by closely analyzing the structural factors of the composite, they proposed a new theoretical model that can accurately predict the electrical and thermal conductive properties of segregated-structure-based composites, which have remained ambiguous in the academic field. This study organically combined experiment and theory to analyze the material’s electrical and thermal behavior precisely and established consistency with a new theoretical model, the "Advanced percolation model (고도 침투이론 모델)." In this way, the research is significant in that it established the world’s first theoretical basis for predicting the enhancement behavior of electrical and thermal conductivity in polymer composites with this structure.

The results of this research were published under the title "Advanced percolation models incorporating excluded volume effects in segregated composites via nano-interconnection and micro-void structure optimization" in the internationally renowned materials engineering journal Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials (Impact Factor 21.8, top 1.5% in JCR).

With the miniaturization of electronic devices and the advancement of semiconductor integrated circuit processes, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and internal heat accumulation have become major causes of performance degradation and shortened device lifetimes. Demand for electromagnetic shielding and thermal management materials is surging globally in applications such as AI semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries, LED packaging, and high-performance server systems. In this context, the theory and technology proposed by Professor Kim’s team are expected to establish themselves as competitive core technologies that can simultaneously achieve electromagnetic shielding and heat dissipation in the next-generation semiconductor and electronic device markets.

Professor Seong-ryun Kim stated, "The segregated-structure filler-network-based materials design theory presented in this research will become a core technology that changes the paradigm of developing lightweight, high-efficiency composite materials across various industries, including AI semiconductors, electric vehicles, and advanced electronic devices."

Meanwhile, the study involved JBNU integrated MS–PhD student Ki-hoon Kim as the first author, with PhD student Seong-jin Kim and integrated MS–PhD student Kyun-young Yoo (all from Dept.of Carbon Composites Convergence Materials Engineering) as co-authors. The work was carried out as part of the "K-Carbon Flagship Technology Development Project" (Project No. RS-2024-00417957), supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Kim Jeong-gwan) and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (President Jeon Yoon-jong), including the subproject "Development of thermoplastic carbon-fiber composite structural parts for mobility applications achieving over 30% weight reduction using reaction-polymerized resins."