The research team of Prof. Jeong Se-Young from Pusan National University (PNU) has identified the world’s first principle of copper oxidation. The results were published in “Nature,” the world's most prestigious journal in the field of natural sciences, on March 17th. It’s been three years since the national research team of Prof. Lee Seung-Hoon was published in Nature in 2019.

On March 17th, the Ministry of Science and ICT reported that the joint research team of Prof. Jeong Se-Young from PNU and Prof. Kim Sung-Gon from Mississippi State University (MSU) first identified the principles of copper oxidation in theory and in experimentation.

Copper is widely used throughout industries, but no one knows in what conditions it is oxidized. The research team of Prof. Jeong Se-Young removed the rough surface of copper using a new method and created copper films of single crystal state in which the atoms are arranged in one direction. By using “the atomically flat copper thin films," the researchers revealed that when copper has a perfectly flat surface or a monatomic layer, it will not be oxidized at room temperature.

Through this research, it's possible to create “unaffected copper.” Products made of gold, such as nanocircuits, can use copper as a substitute, which is much cheaper and more conductive; this is expected to reduce production cost and energy.

PNU students celebrated this achievement. After the news was announced on March 18th, Postings were uploaded like “We need to celebrate together,” “I'm so proud of it” on “Everytime,” the students' anonymous online community.

Dr. Kim Soo-Jae (Researcher, PNU Crystal Bank), the lead author of the research, said, “We will continue to analyze inexhaustible things which haven't been yet discovered such as aluminum, glockenspiel, gold, and nickel based on our technology. National Universities in provinces far from the capital are making just as good discoveries as Universities near the capital. Therefore, I hope PNU students think outside the box and challenge new possibilities with an open mind.”

Reporter Hong Yun-Woo

Translated by Park Yeon-Hee