Manganese Complex Leads the Way to Affordable and Sustainable Bright White OLEDs

Scientists at Dongguk University have developed a new environmentally friendly and cost-effective bright green light-emitting manganese complex called MnBz for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The material was used to fabricate a first-of-its-kind Mn-based white OLED device and a green OLED device with record high efficiency.Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are considered new and promising light sources for illuminating digital displays and indoor/outdoor spaces. One of the most popular commercial methods for fabricating OLEDs is the solution processing approach. However, while the fabrication process of such LEDs itself is low-cost and simple, the raw materials used during solution process often include precious and expensive metals such as rare earth metals, driving up the fabrication costs.Studies have shown that low-dimensional complexes of earth-abundant transition metals could be the key to solving this problem. To develop a promising solution using this approach, a team of researchers led by Assistant Professor Vijaya Gopalan Sree from Dongguk University recently attempted to synthesize zero-dimensional manganese (Mn)-based complexes for OLEDs via solution processing. In their recent breakthrough made available online on 7 September 2023 and published in Volume 474 of the Chemical Engineering Journal on 15 October 2023, the team has laid out the strategy for fabricating a bright green-light-emitting Mn (II) complex MnBz, which was further utilized to design a first-of-its-kind warm-white OLED device."Replacing expensive rare earth metals like gold and platinum with crystalline earth-abundant transition metal complexes can help achieve lightning solutions or displays that are cheaper yet bright and vibrant,” says Dr. Sree, talking about their motivation to explore new materials for OLEDs.In this study, the researchers synthesized MnBz by subjecting manganese bromide (MnBr2) and benzyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (Ph3BzPBr) to solvent-free grinding, followed by dissolution in acetonitrile solvent. The resulting solution was slowly evaporated over days to obtain single crystals of MnBz. The thus obtained MnBz exhibited bright green-light emissions with a narrow emission spectrum and high quantum yield.The team then used the single crystals of MnBz to design a novel Mn(II) complex-based warm-white light-emitting device, which exhibited an excellent color rendering index (CRI) of 78. MnBz was also used to design a green phosphorescent OLED device, which exhibited excellent performance. These light emitters displayed a record-breaking quantum efficiency of 11.42% and current efficiency of 56.84 cd A-1.The exceptional brightness of these MnBz-based devices in response to low turn-on voltages can pave the way for energy-efficient OLED-based consumer electronics and lighting systems. Explaining further, Dr. Sree adds, “Our new eco-friendly and cost-effective light emitter can facilitate developments towards a wider adoption of OLEDs and ultimately impact people's lives by transforming the way we interact with and illuminate our world.”ReferenceTitle of original paper: Green and warm-white light-emitting diodes enabled by zero-dimensional green-emitting Mn(II) bromide complex with record high efficiencyJournal: Chemical Engineering JournalDOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2023.145936*Corresponding author’s email: hyunsik7@dongguk.eduAbout Dongguk UniversityDongguk University, founded in 1906, is located in Seoul, South Korea. It comprises 13 colleges that cover a variety of disciplines and has local campuses in Gyeongju, Goyang, and Los Angeles. The university has 1300 professors who conduct independent research and 18000 students undertaking studies in a variety of disciplines. Interaction between disciplines is one of the strengths on which Dongguk prides itself; the university encourages researchers to work across disciplines in Information Technology, Bio-Technology, CT, and Buddhism.Website: http://www.dongguk.edu/mbs/en/index.jspAbout the authorDr. Vijaya Gopalan Sree (first author) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Physics and Semiconductor Science at Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea. He received his D. Phil. degree from Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea (2015–2019) and formerly worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Superfunctional Materials, UNIST, Ulsan, South Korea (2019–2020). His research involves the design, engineering, and development of novel materials (organic and organometallic) that are cheaper and more efficient alternatives for applications in energy storage and optoelectronics.Prof. Hyunsik Im (corresponding author) received his D.Phil. degree in physics from the University of Oxford. After postdoctoral research in the Clarendon Laboratory at Oxford and Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo, he was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Semiconductor Science at Dongguk University in 2001, was promoted to full professor in 2011. His research areas include optoelectronic and mesoscopic physics in solid-state materials.(Webpage: https://sites.google.com/view/edlabdgu)

Graduate student Lee Jin-ho of the Department of Semiconductor Science Wins Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Scholarship

Lee Jin-ho of the Department of Semiconductor Science (Master's course) was selected as a Hyundai Motor Company Chung Mong-Koo Scholarship recipient.The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation held the '2023 Scholarship Ceremony and Graduation Ceremony' at the Ramada Seoul Sindorim Hotel on June 27.Lee Jin-ho received the scholarship for 'Intelligent Information Technology' in the field of future industry at the scholarship award ceremony.The student will receive various benefits once selected as a Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Scholarship student. Full tuition and living expenses are provided alongside growth support packages and networking programs. Additional scholarships are provided to students who publish papers in internationally renowned academic journals and win prizes in international competitions. Other scholarships are also offered for up to five years to a student who expands their activities overseas, such as entering an excellent university (graduate school) within the world’s top 100 universities to foster the scholarship student's growth continuously. Various networking programs, such as summer camp, performance viewing, and a homecoming day, are operated exclusively for the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Scholarship students.The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation has operated the scholarship program since 2011 and renewed the 'Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Scholar' under the title 'Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Scholar' in 2021, reflecting its founder's will to foster talented people: 'Discovering talent builds national competitiveness.' Chung Mong-Koo is the honorary chairman of Hyundai Motor Group. The foundation has promoted the cultivation of 1,100 future talents over five years across six fields, including global future industry, international cooperation, social innovation, culture and arts, and social integration, and actively supported global activities.

Dongguk University Professor Choi Chang-soon’s Research Team Develops a Clothing-type Energy Harvester

Utilizing Commercialized Fibers, Harvesting External Mechanical Energy into Electrical EnergyDemonstrates the Possibility of Commercializing Wearable Devices with Self-driven Sensors that Detect Human Body MovementOnline Publication of the Latest Edition of ‘Nano Letters,’ a Renowned International Journal in the Nano Field (From left) Dongguk University Department of Energy and Materials Engineering Master Kim Joo-wan, Master Roh Joon-ho, Professor Shim Hyun-joon, and Professor Choi Chang-soon○ Dongguk University Department of Energy and Materials Engineering Master Kim Joo-wan (lead author), Master Roh Joon-ho (co-lead author), Professor Shim Hyun-joon (co-corresponding author), and Professor Choi Chang-soon (corresponding author) announced that they had developed an energy harvester in the form of clothing by coating commercial yarn with graphene.○ They announced that they overcame the limitations of existing research by developing a technology to develop an energy harvester that can function as clothing by mass-producing functional yarn through a simple and continuous process and weaving them.○ Existing mechano-electrochemical-based energy harvesters had many commercialization difficulties, such as expensive materials, complex processes, and mechanical properties unsuitable for direct clothing application. To solve this problem, Professor Choi Chang-soon's research team maintained clothing functionality by simply coating commercial yarn with graphene. In addition, the team reported a wearable energy harvester capable of reproducing mechanical energy repeatedly generated through the wearer's movements into valuable electrical energy through imparting electrical conductivity.○ For proper mechanical properties, fine fibers are twisted and entangled in commercial yarn. The research team led by Professor Choi Chang-soon used this special fiber structure to understand how mechanical energy from the outside may affect the surface area of an energy harvester, which then converts that mechanical energy into electrical energy using electrochemical principles. When woven into the clothing fabric, the produced harvester can be used as a sensor to track human movement. It can detect motion, particularly in direction and intensity, and it has demonstrated promise as a self-driven sensor that runs without external power.○ Professor Choi Chang-soon said, "It is significant that we developed an energy harvester that harvests mechanical energy continuously generated by human body movement into electrical energy, while maintaining the essence of a wearable device." He also expressed his hope that, through mass production, a low-cost process, and the potential for weaving, "it can be used in various fields as self-driven sensors that do not require an external energy device."○ The research results were published online in August 2023 in 「Nano Letters (IF=12.262)」, a renowned international journal in the field of materials, under the title <Hierarchically Plied Mechano-Electrochemical Energy Harvesting Using a Scalable Kinematic Sensing Textile Woven from a Graphene-Coated Commercial Cotton Yarn>.

Dongguk University Professor Kim Jong-pil's team develops innovative cell rejuvenation and regeneration technology using the world's first genetic scissors technology

Awakening in vivo dormant rejuvenation-inducing genes through CRISPR/dCas9 activatorChallenging the realization of a sophisticated and safe dream of immortality... Published in Aging Cell (IF11.5), a world-renowned academic journalCalico and Altos Labs, recently formed by Google and Amazon, are working on projects to fulfill the dream of immortality, with the overarching goal of extending life by turning the biological clock backward. Cell rejuvenation and regeneration technology, which induces rejuvenation by setting the biological clock of adult cells backward, is gaining tremendous attention globally.Professor Kim Jong-pil's team at Dongguk University has developed a technology that induces more sophisticated and safe cell rejuvenation and regeneration by delicately activating the endogenous dormant rejuvenation-inducing gene (Oct4) using cutting-edge gene editing/scissors technology for the first time in the world. The Oct4 gene is a dormant gene that is no longer expressed in adult cells, despite its importance in the early development of human embryos. Professor Kim Jong-pil's team confirmed that temporarily reactivating only the Oct4 gene to reset an elderly mouse's biological clock using gene editing/scissors technology-based gene expression induction technology in an aged mouse converted the aging-inducing proteins and epigenome to a younger state, rejuvenating them to the same condition as a young mouse.Because there are adverse effects that generate tumor growth and cancer induction, existing cell reprogramming technology has clear limits in creating therapeutic and human cell regeneration/rejuvenation treatment technology. To overcome the limitations of current technology, Professor Kim Jong-pil's team produced cell rejuvenation in old mice by triggering the expression of a single gene (Oct4) with sophisticated genetic scissors while avoiding the production of tumor-producing genes (c-Myc and Klf4). As a result, it was possible to minimize tumorigenic side effects while reliably and efficiently inducing rejuvenation in old cells and tissues, hence extending lifetime.For the first time in the world, Professor Kim Jong-pil, who was in charge of this research, could efficiently express in vivo dormant rejuvenation-inducing genes in cells and tissues using genetic scissors technology. This resulted in rejuvenation and regeneration in all tissues of the aging mouse. Notably, this method has been demonstrated to have the potential to be used for a variety of degenerative disorders. Above all, it presented a significant opportunity to use human disease treatment technologies via anti-aging rejuvenation.This study was published on March 25, 2023, in Aging Cell (IF: 11.5), a world-renowned academic publication, with funding from the pan-governmental regenerative medical technology project group and the university’s important research institution project.- Journal Title: Transcriptional activation of endogenous Oct4 via the CRISPR/dCas9 activator ameliorates Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome in mice- Author Information: Kim Jong-pil (correspondent, Dongguk University professor), Kim Jun-yeop (first author, doctoral student), Hwang Ye-rim (first author, doctoral student)* For inquiries regarding this material, please contact the Dongguk University Department of Chemistry Professor Kim Jong-pil (02-2260-3321, jk2316@gmail.com).

A research team led by Professor Kwon Soon-Cheol at Dongguk University has enhanced cathode catalysts' work function and electrical conductivity for developing ultra-high-performance metal-air secondary batteries.

Successfully predicted electrical conductivity and energy level according to the relative fusion ratio.Synthesized high-performance dual-phase electrochemical catalyst, which layered a 6:4 ratio nickel-silver (Ag0.6Ni0.4) on a three-dimensional cobalt-niobium oxide (CoNb2O6) nanocube structure 1.4 times the charging capacity of existing Zn-Air (metal-air) secondary batteries and 3.8 times the stabilityPublished in the latest issue of ‘Applied Catalysis B: Environmental,’ the top international journal in the field of energy and environmentDemand continues to rise as the application fields for secondary batteries, such as mobile electronic gadgets and electric vehicles, expand. While traditional lithium-ion-based secondary batteries have such problems as the risk of explosion and limited charge capacity, Zn-Air (metal-air) batteries have several advantages, such as relatively high energy density, low cost, and high stability, and are regarded as superior secondary batteries when compared to existing lithium-ion batteries.However, a new highly active catalyst was developed because the carbon cathode employed for the air contact surface lacks an efficient electrochemical OER-ORR (oxygen generation-oxygen reduction reaction). As a result, because silver and nickel metals have outstanding electrochemical catalytic capabilities, research was needed to simultaneously improve battery performance and stability by maximizing their physical qualities by manufacturing them into a multi-metal alloy.A research team led by the Dongguk University Department of Energy and Materials Engineering Research Professor Bala (first author) and Professor Kwon Soon-cheol (corresponding author) successfully developed a new dual-phase cathode material catalyst material by layering multi-metal alloy nanoparticles (AgNi, nickel silver) alloyed in a specific ratio on a unique three-dimensional metal oxide nanocube structure (CoNb2O6, cobalt-niobium oxide).Professor Kwon's research team focused on the fact that the relative fusion ratio of AgNi multi-metal alloy catalysts can significantly contribute to electrical conductivity and energy level management and applied "Virtual Crystal Approximation" (VCA) based on density functional theory. As a result, when the relative fusion ratio of silver and nickel is 6:4, the maximum electrical conductivity (σ) is anticipated to reach ~2 x 107 S cm-1 and the work function -5.4 eV.Based on this knowledge, a three-dimensional nano cube structure (cobalt niobium oxide, CoNb2O6) capable of serving as an OER was hydrothermally synthesized. Through successive hydrothermal synthesis, nickel-silver metal multi-alloy nanoparticles in a 6:4 ratio that may play the role of ORR were uniformly stacked on top of this three-dimensional structure. Consequently, the research team could create a novel high-performance two-phase catalyst material.The two-phase catalyst material developed in this manner, in particular, is absorbed into the pores of the existing carbon cathode material, increasing the reaction surface area and facilitating electron, ion, and mass transfer, resulting in higher catalytic activity and Zn-Air (metal-air) battery performance when compared to the existing carbon electrode. The charging capacity of the Zn-Air battery using the two-phase catalyst material was 806.8 mAhg-1, which is more than 1.4 times greater than the 576.6 mAhg-1 of the Zn-Air battery using a single metal oxide catalyst. Furthermore, the charge/discharge performance of the two-phase catalyst Zn-Air battery was 587 hours, 3.8 times that of a single catalyst battery, due to an efficient and balanced OER-ORR reaction (156 hours)."Through this research, we have completed a technology that can maximize and stabilize the electrical and physical characteristics of the metal multi-alloy electrochemical catalyst based on the relative fusion ratio," said Professor Kwon Soon-cheol, " We were able to develop a new high-performance two-phase electrochemical catalyst material using this technology, which is absorbed on the existing carbon electrode to enable efficient/balanced OER-ORR (oxygen generation-oxygen reduction reaction) with a larger surface area, which is significant in realizing an ultra-high performance/stability next-generation Zn-Air secondary battery," and expected, "Because the developed carbon electrode, which includes the two-phase catalyst, operates consistently for 160 hours even in a pouch cell type, we will be able to move a step closer to commercialization of next-generation thin-film or flexible secondary batteries."This research was funded through the National Research Foundation of Korea's senior researcher support project and innovative and challenging research support project. The findings were published online on March 14, 2023, in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental (IF=24.319), the top international journal in the field of energy and environment, under the title <High-performance rechargeable metal-air batteries enabled by efficient charge transport in multielement random alloy electrocatalyst >.<Prediction of energy level and electrical conductivity according to the fusion ratio of AgNi (nickel silver) multi-metal alloy catalyst using “Virtual Crystal Approximation (VCA)”>(a) Prediction of crystal structure change depending on the relative fusion ratio of Ag and Ni(b), (c), (d) Prediction of changes in work function, electrical conductivity, and magnetic movement depending on the relative fusion ratio of Ag and Ni.* For inquiries regarding this material, please contact Dongguk University Professor Kwon Soon-cheol (02-2260-3678, kwansc12@dongguk.edu).

Dongguk University Professor Choi Chang-soon's research team develops high-performance carbon nanotube fibers

(1) Increased energy storage capacity (capacitance) twentyfold while also including energy harvesting characteristics by constructing a carbon nanotube corrugated structure that retains electrical/mechanical performance despite extreme stretchability. (2) Created fiber electrodes with improved mechanical drive and energy storage capacities by activating even the inside of porous carbon nanotube fibers."Published in outstanding academic journals in the field such as ‘Composite parts B: Engineering (IF=11.322, top 1.630% in JCR)’ and ‘ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (IF=10.383, top 14.058% in JCR)"Professor Choi Chang-soon's research team created corrugated microstructure carbon nanotube composite fibers with up to 600% elasticity for use in conductors, supercapacitors, and energy harvesters.A research team led by Master Yoo Seong-joon (first author) and Professor Choi Chang-soon (corresponding author) from Dongguk University created a multi-functional fiber electrode by loading a carbon nanotube sheet onto polymer fibers to form micro-sized wrinkles on the surface. The carbon nanotube corrugated microstructure created in this way has high elasticity (600%) and conductivity, as well as the ability to form micro-sized pores from the contact surface of the polymer core, allowing for approximately 20 times higher capacitance compared to a plain structure without micro-wrinkles and mechano-electrochemistry-based energy production. The polymer/carbon nanotube corrugated microstructure, which can achieve several performance capabilities in a single structure, can be employed in various fields, including biosensors, energy harvesters, and energy storage devices.'This study is significant in that it demonstrated structural stability, mechanical elasticity, energy storage performance improvement, and energy harvesting in a single structure through the fabrication of the corrugated microstructure of carbon nanotubes,' said Professor Choi Chang-soon.Meanwhile, this research team recently completed another study on fiber-type carbon nanotube electrodes in collaboration with Hanyang University. By electrochemically activating up to the inside of the car's porous structure, a research team led by Professor Choi Chang-soon of Dongguk University's Department of Energy and Materials Engineering (corresponding author) and Professor Kim Seon-jeong of Hanyang University's Department of Electronic Engineering (co-corresponding author) succeeded in developing a carbon nanotube fiber electrode with dramatically improved mechanical drive and energy storage performance. Carbon nanotube fiber electrodes are promising electrode candidates with a wide range of applications because they have excellent mechanical and electrical properties as well as a unique structure that provides a highly effective reaction area due to the dense concentration of millions of nano-bundles aligned in a single direction and nano-micro channels between bundles. However, because of the stability of the carbon-to-carbon network, which does not react well with other materials, there were numerous practical restrictions.The existing technology is an oxygen plasma procedure that uses plasma to functionalize the carbon network exposed on the surface, and it proved unable to activate fiber electrodes with internal structures several tens of micrometers in size. The research team applied electrochemical voltage to tackle this challenge. The nano-micro channel's electrostatic pull and capillary action allow the reactant to penetrate and activate the carbon nanotube fiber electrode down to the deep region of the fiber. The produced fiber electrode demonstrated excellent water reactivity, high hydrophilicity with a contact angle of approximately 38°, excellent rotational driving performance in a humid environment (986 revolutions/m), and a capacitance approximately 25 times more than before treatment (72.8 mF/cm2).According to Professor Changsoon Choi, "This study is remarkable since it activated carbon nanotube fibers as a whole using a new technique known as electrochemical processing. It will be employed as a base electrode in various industries in the future, including soft robots, fabric batteries, and water/wet harvesting, and will represent a technical tipping point that will drastically improve device performance." Researcher Sohn Won-gyeong (co-first author) and Lee Jae-myeong (co-first author) participated in this research.<From left, Professor Choi Chang-soon, Master Yoo Seong-joon, Researcher Sohn Won-gyeong, Researcher Lee Jae-myeong of the Department of Energy and Materials Engineering>The research results were published in the March 2023 issue of 「Composites part B: Engineering (IF=11.322)」, a renowned international journal in the field of engineering, and 「ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (IF=10.383)」, a journal in the field of nanoscience and technology.

Dongguk University Professor Lim Jung-yeon's research team develops new high-performance robot sensor nanomaterials

The research team of the Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Energy Engineering Professor Lim Jung-yeon and Ph.D. candidate Kim Yeong-seong developed a new hybrid perovskite nanomaterial whose properties can be regulated by an external electric field at ambient temperature.The material outlined above can also be employed in artificial intelligence via robot sensors, quantum computing, and computer processing capability enhancement. Because it can be utilized for high-sensitivity, ultra-high-speed sensors, it may be used in actuators in various situations to perform precise and efficient robot motion control. Furthermore, mechanical energy can be turned into electrical energy because of the energy harvesting features."This research is instrumental as a sensor for future robots through a new nanostructured material, and in particular, it is planned to be applied to the flying robot being developed by the research foundation CRC Leading Research Center (7 years, 9.75 billion won)," said Professor Lim Jung-yeon, adding, "I expect that it will be used in various fields in the future."The findings will be published in the June 2023 issue of Materials Today Physics (IF=11.021), an incredibly renowned academic journal, as part of the Leading Research Center Project, funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Ministry of Science and ICT, among others.* Journal Title: Multiferroic-field coupling in ultrathin nanofilm halide perovskite at room temperature

Source technology for waste resource photoelectrochemical decomposition using solar energy

The research team led by Dongguk University Professor Lee Jae-joon and the State University of New York Professor Lim Gyu developed the source technology for the room-temperature photoelectrochemical decomposition system for lignin, a lignocellulosic waste.Selected as the cover of Sustainable Energy & Fuels, the highest professional journal in the field of renewable energy conversion○ A research team led by Professor Lee Jae-joon of Dongguk University and Professor Lim Gyu of State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry developed a system capable of photoelectrochemically decomposing lignin, a representative lignocellulosic waste, at room temperature by fusing a photoelectrode system based on a responsive photovoltaic cell and an organic catalyst.○ Unlike the existing catalyst-based electrochemical decomposition method, the joint research team led by Kang Hyeong-Cheol and Kim Saerona (co-first authors) achieved conditions for selective oxidative decomposition even at room temperature by utilizing a photoelectrochemical reaction using an organic dye-based sensitized photovoltaic cell.○ "The results of this study are expected to contribute to the use of various waste resources and the resolution of environmental pollution problems without additional energy consumption in the future by utilizing solar energy for the eco-friendly decomposition reactions of waste plastics and biomass," said Professor Lee Jae-joon.○ The research findings were chosen as the cover study of Sustainable Energy & Fuels, a world-renowned academic publication in the energy field, and were officially released on May 21. (7, 2339-2348) (https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SE00194F)○ This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea's senior researcher support project and climate change response project (Development of Organic Matter-based Solar Cell Source Technology for Urban Distributed Power Generation) as well as the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's McIntire Stennis project.

​Jongpil Kim, a Professor of Chemistry at Don...

Jongpil Kim, a Professor of Chemistry at Dongguk University, together with colleagues, has developed a novel cell therapy for Alzheimer's disease by analyzing the single-cell transcriptome profile.Jongpil Kim, Professor of Chemistry, Dongguk UniversityThe research team discovered a core subset of stem cells that can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease and contribute to the development of personalized cell therapy for these patients.The findings were published online in Nature Communication, a sister journal to Nature, the world's top academic journal.○ A team of scientists, led by Professor Jongpil Kim of Dongguk University, has identified rare oligodendrocytes in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and mouse models using single-cell-level transcriptome profiling, which may offer the possibility of a new cell therapy for the control and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The results were reported in the February issue of Nature communication (IF:17.6).* Oligodendrocytes: Cells responsible for supporting neurons in the central nervous system of vertebrates.○ Using single-cell transcriptome profiling analysis, a state-of-the-art system biochemistry technique, the research team identified rare oligodendrocytes and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells that are specific to Alzheimer's disease. They have named these specific cells, “disease-associated oligodendrocytes (DAOs)”. * Single-cell transcriptome profiling analysis: the latest bioinformatics technique for isolating a “single" cell and analyzing its genomic features.○ In particular, by using pseudo-time analysis to analyze the single-cell data extracted from single-cell transcriptome profiling, the team identified an altered developmental lineage from oligodendrocyte progenitor cells to adult oligodendrocytes that are specific to the progression of dementia.○ Moreover, the team found that theErk signaling pathwayis abnormally activated during dementia progression. Treatment of mice with dementia with a drug that targets the Erksignaling pathway improved their overall cognitive performance on behavioral tests.○ Notably, Professor Jongpil Kim identified the role of similar cell populations in the brain, not only in mouse models, but also in patients with Alzheimer's disease, by applying correlation analysis to data on rare cortical dendritic cells obtained from patients with dementia.○ "This study is significant as it not only confirms the strong therapeutic effect of rare oligodendrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease but also sheds new light on the role and potential of oligodendrocytes and oligodendrocytes progenitor stem cells in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases," said study leader, Professor Jongpil Kim. "It is also significant that we have secured a new means forstem cell therapythat can be used to treat dementia, a disease for which there is currently no cure."○ The research was supported by the University Focused Research Center Program, the Interdepartmental Regenerative Medical Technology Development Project, and the Samsung Future Technology Development Program.○ The study findings were published in the online edition of Nature Communication (IF=17.9), a sister journal of Nature, the world's top academic journal.* Paper titleSingle-cell RNA-sequencing identifies disease-associated oligodendrocytes in male APP NL-G-F and 5XFAD mice

Research Team Led by Hyunsik Lim and Hyungsang..

Research Team Led by Hyunsik Lim and Hyungsang Kim, Professors at Dongguk University, Discovers a New Quantum Material via Spin Cloud CondensationLeft: Professor, Hyunsik Lim; Right: Professor, Hyungsang Kim- Successful discovery of a new Bose–Einstein condensate (Published in Nature Physics)○ A research team led by Hyunsik Lim, Professor of Physics and Semi-conductor Science at Dongguk University, has discovered and analyzed a new quantum material using the condensates of spin clouds in an ultracold silicon metal.* Spin cloud (also known as a “Kondo cloud”): Free electrons formed to screen the magneticity of a metal or semi-conductor※ Co-corresponding authors: Professor Eunkyu Kim, Professor Sangjin Shin (Hanyang University), Professor Yeonwook Jung (Sungkyunkwan University)Spin clouds play a major role in high-temperature superconductivity. Due to their vanishing resistance, spin clouds enable applications such as levitation trains (maglev) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Despite the theoretical and experimental interest, the study of new quantum materials formed by spin clouds and their interactions in the field of condensed matter physics face many unresolved challenges.While researching quantum computer components, a research team led by Professors Hyunsik Lim and Hyungsang Kim from Dongguk University inadvertently discovered an unusual signal in silicon metal. Upon initial investigation, they suspected it was not an error from the component or measurement device but instead a new quantum mechanical model.Although they faced significant experimental challenges such as the need to measure ultracold temperatures and overcome interpretation problems, which made preceding research on spin clouds extremely difficult, the research team has persisted in their effort since 2015.The team used spectroscopic and electrical conductivity measurements to determine that the observed signal in the silicon metal derived from a new material that exhibited the characteristics of the Bose–Einstein condensate, which is a phase of material discovered in 1990 that follows the solid, liquid, gas, and plasma phases.The research team successfully discovered and elucidated, for the first time in the world, that a new quantum material can be formed by condensing ultracold spin clouds (1[K], -272.15[℃]) using silicon metal.The discovery is expected to contribute to a greater understanding of spin–spin interactions in metals and semiconductors as well as the study of strongly correlated materials, including high-temperature superconductors.* Strongly correlated material: a material that exhibits unusual phenomena not seen in typical conductors and insulators due to the strong interactions between its constituent particles.Professor Lim stated, “If we can create and control another quantum condensed state through this research, it can be applied to quantum device technology.” He added, “Understanding the properties of various spin clouds in response to changes in the concentration of spin clouds in pure metals through follow-up research is important.”The team’s research was supported by the Basic Research Program (mid-career and basic laboratory) of the Ministry of Science and ICT. An article describing their achievement was published* in the international academic journal Nature Physics on February 7 (16:00 GMT, February 6 local time).* Title of the paper: Observation of Kondo condensation in a degenerately doped silicon metal