[Young journalist Cheon Ye On] Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) announced that research team of Professor Hyoungsoo Kim in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Sanghoo Park in the Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering invented a technology of next-generation elastic Cloaking technology that can absorb, control, and shield electric current, based on Liquid Metal Composite Ink (LMCP).

In order to actualize Cloaking technology that makes objects seem invisible in tracking devices such as radar and sensors, we should be able to freely control light or waves on the object’s surface.

However, previous metal materials had the limitation that when too much force is applied, they break easily, because it is firm and doesn’t stretch easily. This caused difficulty in adapting it to electronic devices that stick on the body, or robots that can freely transform its formation.

The liquid metal composite inks the research team made do not break the electricity even when stretching up to 12 times its original length, and showed high resilience that doesn’t rust and lowers the quality even when being left for 1 year in the air. This ink keeps its metallic function and is also squishy just like rubber.

In order to prove this ink’s performance, the research team created an ‘elastic Metamaterial absorbant’ that has a different property of absorbing electric current based on how much it stretches.

‘Metamaterial’, a component that has new optical properties never seen in nature,  showcases special properties, such as creating focus smaller than light wavelength of ‘negative refraction’, which bends the light in a different direction from the basic refraction path.

After stamping a pattern with the ink and stretching it like a rubber band, the kind of electric current (frequency range) that is absorbed differs. This indicates that it can be used for Cloaking technology-the technology that can hide objects better from radars or communication signals based on the situations.

The researchers explained that this technology is innovative electric material technology that satisfies elasticity, conductivity, long-term stability, simplicity of the process, and electric current control function at one time.

Professor Hyoungsoo Kim said “we are able to actualize electric current functions only with printing process, not requiring complicated devices” and that “we look forward to this technology being used in various future technologies such as robot’s skin, wearable devices that we put on our body, and defense sector radar stealth technology.”

▶원문 기사: 해리포터 '투명망토' 진짜 나오나…카이스트, 액체금속 잉크 개발

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