The research of a Korean research team led by Dr. Chang-Hoon Lee at the Korea Institute of Materials Science, a government

funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, was selected as the Top 100 Scientific Reports 2020 in the

materials science. This research developed the world's first technology to produce lightweight stainless steel, which is about

20% lighter than the existing stainless steel.

Traditionally lightweight steel was produced by adding aluminum, a light alloying element, to iron. But as aluminum increases 

the brittleness which makes it easily broken, it is difficult to add more than 10% of aluminum to iron. The researchers

succeeded in lowering the brittleness of steel even with the addition of 12% aluminum, by optimizing the added amount of

alloying elements such as carbon, manganese, and chromium. In particular, the lightweight steel can withstand corrosion

because of a fine and dense oxide layer by using chromium.

Stainless steel, developed in the 1910s, has been closely influencing our lifestyle. It is used in a number of industries, such as

automobiles, shipbuilding, architecture, medical care, and home appliances, which makes it difficult to find a field in which

stainless steel is not used. This was possible because it solved the shortcomings of steel, which is weak to corrosion. However,

another obstacle of steel, weight reduction, has not been solved. According to many reports on future environmental

predictions, reduction of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, improvement of energy efficiency, and achievement of

carbon neutrality will determine the future of human beings. As there are rapid changes in the industry, steel, which has

excellent mechanical properties, weldability, and economic feasibility, faces serious competition with lightweight metals and

composite materials. For suggesting the future direction of steel technology, this research outcome is very meaningful.

Jung-Hwan Lee, the president of KIMS, said, “The reason why steel materials were selected in the Top 100 Scientific Reports 

among emerging materials such as batteries and biotechnology is that they presented a new scientific and social

paradigm for steel.” “We will continue to work hard so that KIMS can mark a milestone in the development of steel technology,” he

added.

Scientific Reports is a sister journal of Nature, one of the world's top three scientific journals. Every year, it selects the Top

100 Scientific Reports for the papers with the most downloads in each research field. More than 1,000 papers in materials

science are published in Scientific Reports annually.