Dr. Yoo Ji-seong of the Hydrogen Materials Evaluation Laboratory of the Extreme Materials Research Institute of the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS, President Lee Jeong-hwan), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, was selected as the 'Material Innovation Young Researcher of the Month' by the Korean Institute of Metals and Materials (KIM, President Joo Se-don).

Dr. Yoo Ji-seong is conducting research on improving the hydrogen embrittlement resistance of metal materials through behavioral analysis and control of organizational characteristics for hydrogen embrittlement, and on developing a method for evaluating hydrogen embrittlement of metal materials used in hydrogen storage containers and piping materials.

Since this metal material is exposed to extreme environments such as high-pressure hydrogen gas or extremely low-temperature liquid hydrogen (-253℃), it is essential to evaluate the material appropriately in extreme environments to ensure stability.

As the utilization of hydrogen is increasing in line with the current trend of transitioning to a hydrogen energy society, such research on hydrogen embrittlement is expected to contribute greatly to the carbon neutral era.

Since its establishment in 1946, the Korean Institute of Metals and Materials has been recognized by all as the largest metals and materials society in Korea, centered around materials experts from universities, research institutes, and industrial companies.

The 'Material Innovation Young Researcher of the Month' is selected every month to encourage and discover the next generation of young researchers. The selected young researchers will receive membership fee support for two years including the year of selection, and during the membership fee exemption period, they will receive support for registration fees for the spring/fall academic conferences and a plaque with the title ‘New Researcher in Materials Innovation’, etc., to enable them to grow based on the society.