Graphene, called the "dream new material," has moved beyond the lab and entered mass production. Graphene Square, a graphene specialist, completed a graphene film mass-production plant at the Blue Valley National Industrial Complex in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. It is regarded as the first attempt in Korea to produce large-area graphene continuously based on factory facilities.
At the completion ceremony on the on the , Hong Byung-hee (54), CEO of Graphene Square and a professor in the department of chemistry at Seoul National University, told ChosunBiz, "Completion is not the end but a new start," adding, "With the plant in place, we can cut the unit cost of graphene production to one-sixth of the pilot level."
Graphene is a material in which carbon atoms form a single honeycomb layer, and industry has long taken notice because it is thin yet strong and conducts electricity and heat well. Thanks to these properties, applications have been cited in heating products such as heating and cooking, thermal dissipation (thermal management) for electronic devices and data centers, and in displays, sensors, and secondary batteries.
Hong is considered a leading researcher who has spearheaded graphene research in Korea. After earning his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate at Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH, he conducted postdoctoral research with renowned graphene scholar Kim Philip at Columbia University in the United States, laying the groundwork for graphene research. After returning to Korea, he served as a professor at Sungkyunkwan University and joined the department of chemistry at Seoul National University in 2011, continuing industrialization research such as large-area synthesis and transfer technology.
Graphene Square, founded by Hong in 2012, signed an investment memorandum of understanding (MOU) with North Gyeongsang Province and the city of Pohang in 2021 and then transferred its headquarters from Suwon to Pohang. A total of 42 billion won was invested in the Pohang plant, which has a total floor area of 6,308㎡. Graphene Square raised a 19 billion won Series B round in 2023 and received a 16 billion won pre-IPO investment in Apr. this year.
◇ Mass production via large-area continuous CVD process
The strength of the Pohang plant is large-area, continuous production. Graphene Square built a mass-production system based on the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene process that Hong developed for the first time in the world. CVD is a method of obtaining a high-purity material by uniformly depositing carbon on a substrate in a high-temperature environment.
The company cited the following reasons for being able to lower unit costs to about one-sixth of the pilot stage: spreading fixed costs per area thanks to expanded production scale, moving away from batch-centered pilot processes to run lines continuously and boost equipment utilization, and automating logistics, handling, and inspection steps within the process.
However, lowering manufacturing costs and the actual selling price perceived by customers are separate issues. In the early stage of mass production, customer quality certification and inspection and screening expense are added, and if initial demand is not large enough, cost savings may not be immediately reflected in the selling price. The company expects a virtuous cycle in which lower price barriers bring more customers, higher volumes improve utilization and Production yield, and costs come down.
Hong said that once the Pohang plant is up and running, it can produce 300,000㎡ of graphene per year. At a soccer field's area, 300,000㎡ equals about 42 fields, and in A4 sheets it is about 4.8 million pages.
The remaining challenges are Production yield and time. According to Hong, the next three to four months will be for bringing in key equipment, followed by three to four months for stabilizing the Production yield. Taking customer quality verification into account, mass delivery is expected between the end of next year and early 2027.
◇ Samsung, LG, SK Hynix, and POSCO are watching
Hong picked heating and cooling products as the areas where graphene will first take hold in everyday life. Using a graphene film as a heating element allows product designs in which the entire surface emits heat uniformly, while the opposite property—rapidly transferring and dispersing heat—means it can also be used as a thermal dissipation material for electronic devices and data centers.
The company has already raised its profile at overseas exhibitions with home appliances that use graphene. A prime example is the graphene radiator. The entire surface of the thin graphene film works like a heating element and can produce heat up to about 75 degrees, and it improves energy efficiency by more than 30% compared with conventional heaters. For this, it won the Best of Innovation award at CES 2023, the world's largest IT exhibition, and made Time magazine's list of Best Inventions of 2023 in the United States.
As these results accumulate, industry interest is growing. Indeed, in addition to government and local officials, representatives of partner companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and POSCO Holdings attended the completion ceremony. This suggests that large manufacturers that could become demand sources are watching for the stage when graphene is actually put into parts and products.
Graphene applications extend beyond industrial materials into bio. Hong said, "When graphene is made very small—tens of nanometers (nm, one-billionth of a meter) or less—it is called 'graphene quantum dots,' and graphene quantum dots have been found to have potential effects in basic research on diseases such as childhood dementia, Lou Gehrig's disease, and Parkinson's disease," adding, "We also plan to mass-produce graphene quantum dots in Pohang."
Hong predicted that the graphene industry will, in the long run, become a vast industrial sector like steel and silicon. "In 20 years, every household will have at least 10 graphene-based electronic devices," he said. "The foundation for that is being built in Pohang."
The reason for choosing Pohang as a "graphene valley" is also to build a long-term industrial ecosystem. He added, "You can consolidation top-tier research infrastructure like Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH with skilled manufacturing talent in one place," and "By combining these, we can create a Korean model of Pittsburgh, where universities, research, and manufacturing are integrated around Carnegie Mellon University."
◇ "Graphene and materials industries need policies with a 10-year horizon"
Hong said, "For new materials industries like graphene to grow, national policy needs a long view," expressing concern about the government's artificial intelligence (AI)-centered industrial policy. "The current mood is as if all industries will be replaced by AI, but there are clearly areas AI will never cross," he said. "AI can replace parts, but it cannot replace the whole."
Graphene Square actively uses AI for quality vision inspection, defect detection, and cooking recipe recommendations. But Hong said, "AI is an important tool, so building infrastructure is important, but AI cannot be the purpose of industry."
He continued, "If AI alone is made the national agenda, new materials industries that take a long time will find it hard even to be born, and talent in fields like materials and bio may lose morale, thinking, 'Is my field unnecessary?'" adding, "Steel, semiconductors, and graphene all need policies that look at least 10 years ahead."
Hong said, "In Pohang, when one plant wobbles, hundreds of jobs disappear and the local commercial district takes a direct hit," adding, "What regions like this need is not just AI, but a national portfolio that grows multiple industries together."