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Funding and advertised pay are reported in USD; filed accounts retain their stated source currency and basis.

Exchange-rate basis

Indicative conversions use ECB reference rates dated 2026-09-14, applied consistently across all periods. They are not historical exchange rates. Indian rupees may use crore (1 crore = 10 million); other currencies use K, M and B. CSV downloads, source documents and quoted news headlines retain their original currencies.

THE SOUTH KOREA EDITION 2026

South Korea’s
chemicals and materials industry,
in focus.

The companies, capital and talent shaping chemicals and materials in South Korea. Find the leaders. Understand the segments. See where the activity is.

Explore in Radar Read the key signals
Snapshot: Funding in USD
Illustrated cover for Chemicals and Materials Industry Landscape of South Korea
KR
COMPANIES · CAPITAL · TALENT

An industry ecosystem,
measured in context.

Chemicals and Materials illustration
Companies tracked 554Chemicals and Materials ecosystem in South Korea Disclosed funding $721.84M5 companies · all recorded rounds Companies hiring 3With open roles at the snapshot Tracked open roles 40 employers posted in the preceding 30 days
MEET THE COMPANIES

Explore South Korea’s chemicals and materials leaders

24 featured companies from the funding, hiring, revenue and team-size leaderboards.

Expand panel +
Explore the full landscape
Chemicals and Materials company highlights in South Korea, snapshot 2 September 2026
Company
SK Geo Centricskgeocentric.com$360M———
Solus Advanced Materialssolusadvancedmaterials.com$322.35M—282Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
IVWorksivwkr.com$28.5M—12—
Terracleterracle.im$7.88M———
DEEPSMARTECHdeepsmartech.com$3.11M———
Kukdo Chemicalkukdo.com—2 roles777—
DongSungdongsungcorp.co.kr—1 roles603—
Lotte Advanced Materialslotteadms.com—1 roles82—
Hyosung TNChyosungtnc.com——1,435—
Hyundai Steelhyundai-steel.com——106,000Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
Korea Testing Laboratoryktl.re.kr————
Korean Zinkkoreazinc.co.kr——1,025Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
Kumho Petrochemical Groupkkpc.com——1,453—
LOTTE Fine Chemicallottefinechem.com——917Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
LS MnMlsmnm.com————
Lgchemlgchem.com——29,573Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
POSCOposco.co.kr———Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
POSCOposco.com——175—
POSCO Future Mposcofuturem.com——2,335—
SKCskc.kr——177Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
SONGWONsongwon.com——639—
Soulbrainsoulbrain.co.kr——1,383—
Sudal Koreasoudalkorea.com——52—
dongkuk steeldongkuk.com——2,570—
24 featured companies

Locked revenue figures are available in Radar; the eight company financial previews stay the same throughout this page. A dash means the figure is outside these featured lists. Revenue years vary by company; the figures are not a like-for-like revenue comparison. Compare annual accounts ↗

Company discovery

Recorded evidence only

Explore the live startup set in Radar

No company example met every recorded classification, independence and public-profile gate in this snapshot. The live directory may have newer qualifying companies.

Explore classified startups in Radar ↗
THE KEY SIGNALS

Chemicals and Materials industry KPIs in South Korea

A few useful ratios bring the size of this ecosystem into perspective.

2 September 2026
Hiring participation0.5%

3 of 554 tracked companies have open roles.

Funding participation1.3%

7 of 554 tracked companies have a recorded round.

Top 3 funding share98.5%

Share of disclosed capital received by the three largest recorded recipients.

Median disclosed round$7.88M

Midpoint of 7 rounds with a disclosed amount.

Scale is concentrated. Opportunity is broader. The three largest funding recipients hold 98.5% of disclosed capital, while 98.7% of tracked companies have no recorded funding round.

Explore the segments →
CAPITAL & COMPANY FORMATION

How South Korea chemicals and materials has grown

Recorded company formation and disclosed funding across the complete annual series shown.

Expand panel +
2016 — 2025

Disclosed funding by year

Sum of recorded funding rounds · USD

South Korea chemicals and materials
$0$102.6M$205.2M$307.8M$410.4M2016: $020162017: $020172018: $020182019: $6.7M20192020: $322.35M20202021: $17.4M20212022: $360M20222023: $020232024: $10.99M20242025: $02025
View the numbers
Annual chemicals and materials funding and company formation in South Korea
YearFunding (USD)FoundedRaising
2016$070
2017$0160
2018$0130
2019$6.7M141
2020$322.35M121
2021$17.4M81
2022$360M71
2023$060
2024$10.99M12
2025$000
WHERE CAPITAL SITS

Funding concentration

Share of all disclosed company funding.

  • SK Geo Centric49.9%
  • Solus Advanced Materials44.7%
  • IVWorks3.9%
  • Other companies1.5%

Funding by stage

9 recorded rounds since 2016

NUMBER OF ROUNDS
Seed & Angel2 22.2%
Series A–B3 33.3%
Series C+ / PE3 33.3%
Grants, debt & other1 11.1%

Recent recorded rounds

Latest recorded rounds · USD
1 rounds

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Series C04/2026
IVWorks $3.97M

Backed by iM Investment Partners and Enlight Ventures.

Largest and notable recorded rounds

Each card is one recorded round
7 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Series C11/2021
IVWorksivwkr.com$17.4M

Backed by Wonik and Wooshin Venture Investment and others.

Series B12/2019
IVWorksivwkr.com$6.7M

Backed by DT&Investment and Korea Development Bank Europe and others.

Seed2015
IVWorksivwkr.com$425.01K

Backed by Samsung Venture Investment and Songhyun Investment.

THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE ACTIVITY

Revenue, profitability & financial strength

Expand panel +

Annual accounts availability

No reviewed exact national-ID connector has yet been qualified for South Korea; this is a checked implementation boundary, not evidence that filings are absent.; No reviewed exact national-ID connector has yet been qualified for South Korea; this is a checked implementation boundary, not evidence that filings are absent.

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

Web traffic, app reach and release cadence

How the South Korea companies on this page show up online: the sites people visit, the apps they install, and how often those apps ship.

Most-installed apps

11 of these companies (2%) publish at least one Android app — 13 apps in all, carrying 75.1K installs between them.

AppInstallsRatingStore category
한국금거래소Korea Gold Exchange47.5K—Finance
웰크론몰welcron9K—Shopping
GMSOCI5.2K—Tools
방문자 예약 - 대한제강, 와이케이스틸Daehan Steel4.6K—Business
노루페인트 전용앱. ‘노루파워업’NOROO Paint2.9K—Lifestyle
동우 모바일출입증Dongwoo Fine Chem2.2K—Tools
ZIC USTAADSkenmove2.1K—Business
노루페인트 임직원 전용앱. ‘노루파워업’NOROO Paint642—Lifestyle
고려아연 운송정보Korean Zink437—Business
테이팩스 발주시스템tapex375—Productivity

Installs are lifetime totals to date at the June 2026 store reading — a measure of reach, not of people using an app today.

App reach by segment

The busiest app inside each of this page’s own segments, with the quarterly release trend behind it.

SegmentAppsInstallsLeading appRelease trend
Metals And Alloys352.6K한국금거래소 47.5K—
Diversified Chemicals47.4KGMS 5.2K—
Construction Chemicals23.5K노루페인트 전용앱. ‘노루파워업’ 2.9K—

A company can carry several segment tags, so these rows overlap and should not be added together. Trend lines are zero-based and share one quarter grid, so a flat line is a quiet segment, not a missing one.

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY

The South Korea chemicals and materials market map

Explore the segments behind the headline numbers.

Expand panel +

Where companies are building

Rank segments by scale, hiring or disclosed funding.

Segment data unavailable0

Companies can sit in several segments. Counts and funding overlap.

SEGMENT TO EXPLORE

Segment data unavailable

The largest measured segment in this report snapshot.

0companies
0%have hiring activity

0 companies hiring · $0 disclosed funding

Explore in Radar

How companies make money

Common revenue models; a company can use more than one.

THE COMPANIES IN MOTION

Who is listing, hiring leaders, launching and winning work

Recorded corporate activity linked to companies in this landscape.

Expand panel +
Recent corporate headlines 10 dated reports
Mergers & acquisitionstaekwang.co.kr ↗

a consortium led by Taekwang Industrial — the group’s key unit — has recently emerged as the strongest candidate to acquire K Shipbuilding, after HJ Shipbuilding & Construction and Pavilion Private Equity dropped out of the main bid.

Funding roundskoreazinc.co.kr ↗

Some $1.94 billion of the funding for the smelter will come from venture, consisting of the US government, strategic investors and Korea Zinc.

Mergers & acquisitionslgchem.com ↗

LG Chem announced today that Toyota Tsusho Corporation had acquired a 25% stake in LG-HY BCM, the company’s cathode materials plant in Gumi.

Mergers & acquisitionsposco.co.kr ↗

Posco is reviewing the acquisition of HMM, Korea’s largest shipping line, as it seeks to counter slowing growth in steel and secondary battery materials with lower logistics costs and greater supply chain stability.

Funding roundsposcofuturem.com ↗

Posco Future M, the group’s core battery materials subsidiary, had earlier announced a rights offering worth 1.1 trillion won to secure growth capital.

Funding roundshyundai-steel.com ↗

The nub of Hyundai Motor Group's recent $21 billion investment announcement at the White House lies with a $5.8 billion Hyundai Steel plant in Louisiana.

Mergers & acquisitionsypzinc.co.kr ↗

Sun Metals Corporation (SMC), an overseas subsidiary of Korea Zinc (KRX: 010130) stated that through its recent acquisition of Young Poong shares, which prevented the hostile takeover of its parent company, it was able to ensure stable business operations in Australia and maintain a sustainable future growth engine.

Mergers & acquisitionsyppc.co.kr ↗

Sun Metals Corporation Pty. Ltd. (SMC), Korea Zinc's "grandchild company" or second-tier subsidiary, announced today (January 22) that it has acquired a portion of Young Poong's shares held by the Choi family and Young Poong Precision Corporation.

Mergers & acquisitionshyosungtnc.com ↗

Hyosung TNC will acquire Hyosung Chemical's specialty gas business for 920 billion won ($642.5 million), the chemical fiber affiliate said Thursday.

Mergers & acquisitionsskc.kr ↗

British pharmaceutical and biotech consultancy The MAP Group has acquired SKC, a German firm specialised in market access and pricing services.

Full recorded event mix

Top 10 categories among 324 recorded events in the 24-month window.

Company announcements
77
Contracts
58
Lawsuit
32
Mergers & acquisitions
28
Leadership moves
25
Earnings
23
Capital infusions
19
Board Updates
14
Asset acquisitions
12
Job creation
11
6 activity cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Leadership moves

5 tracked people moves

Lee Bo-ryong

Promotion President

LS MnM ↗
Koo Dong-hui

Promotion President

Lgchem ↗
Kim Dong-chun

Promotion Chief Executive Officer

Lgchem ↗
Kim Dong-choon

Appointment Chief Executive Officer

LS MnM ↗
Koo Dong-whi

Promotion President

Product launches

Products, platforms and features in the recorded window

Lgchem ↗
Citizen Data Scientist platform

Platform

Workforce actions

1 companies with reported reductions

SKC ↗

Scale not stated rolescost reduction

Regulatory events

9 recorded events

POSCO ↗

approved for site preparationgovernment authorities

Korean Zink ↗

new share sale cancelledSouth Korea regulator

Korean Zink ↗

blocked new share issuanceSeoul Central District Court

Korean Zink ↗

referred to prosecutionFinancial Supervisory Service (FSS)

Litigation

14 tracked suits

Company
Young Poong v korea zinc

restriction of voting rights in cross-shareholdings and allegations of breach of trust andCivil · Dismissed

Company
Young Poong v KZ Precision

unlawful restriction of voting rights leading to damages lawsuitCivil · Filed

Earnings pulse

Reported company results in the recorded window.

9companies
28period observations
-3.2%median reported growth

Median across 22 reported growth observations; companies may contribute multiple periods.

Mergers and acquisitions

Company-linked deal reports; status is preserved as recorded.

Acquirer → targetStatusDateValue / context
Lgchem→LG Electronics Inc.Announced2026-07-29Not stated in snapshot
Taekwang→Aekyung IndustrialAnnounced2026-04-17Not stated in snapshot
Hyundai Steel→hyundai hyscoAnnounced2026-04-08Not stated in snapshot
Taekwang→K ShipbuildingRumored2026-04-07Not stated in snapshot
Taekwang→Dongsung Bio PharmPending2026-04-07Not stated in snapshot
toyota tsusho→Lgchem ↗Announced2025-09-09Not stated in snapshot

A discussion or rumour is not a completed transaction. An unstated value is not zero.

PEOPLE & OPPORTUNITY

The talent market

Recorded hiring and workforce signals from the available source snapshot.

Expand panel +

Most advertised job titles

No repeated job title is supported by this snapshot.

0 internship postings

0 tracked postings mention remote work.

THE PEOPLE BUILDING THE FIELD

Founders and leaders

142 founders and chief executives across 115 companies.

Expand panel +
6 profiles

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Education networks

1 profiles with education records.

Prior employers

0 profiles with prior-work records.

Profiles cover recorded founders and leaders; contact details remain in Radar.

NEWS INTELLIGENCE

How this industry appears in the news

248,641 articles in the measured 12-month window.

Expand panel +
248,641articles in the measured year
38,768articles in 2026Q1
38.2%positive tone in the latest complete year

News volume trends

Chemicals and Materials coverage across South Korea · articles per complete quarter

038,26476,528114,792153,0562021Q2: 26,3802021Q22021Q3: 30,0612021Q4: 26,9872022Q1: 32,2302022Q2: 27,8812022Q22022Q3: 30,8662022Q4: 37,5532023Q1: 39,6442023Q2: 40,1032023Q22023Q3: 41,0372023Q4: 37,4412024Q1: 45,6872024Q2: 45,2662024Q22024Q3: 47,7172024Q4: 61,1902025Q1: 70,2682025Q2: 45,5072025Q22025Q3: 133,0922025Q4: 35,6172026Q1: 38,7682026Q1
View quarterly article counts
QuarterArticles
2021Q226,380
2021Q330,061
2021Q426,987
2022Q132,230
2022Q227,881
2022Q330,866
2022Q437,553
2023Q139,644
2023Q240,103
2023Q341,037
2023Q437,441
2024Q145,687
2024Q245,266
2024Q347,717
2024Q461,190
2025Q170,268
2025Q245,507
2025Q3133,092
2025Q435,617
2026Q138,768

Article volume measures coverage, not market sales.

Tone of coverage over time

2021
53,429 positive · 19,853 neutral · 15,881 negative
2022
73,814 positive · 30,054 neutral · 24,546 negative
2023
89,276 positive · 42,627 neutral · 26,229 negative
2024
105,116 positive · 65,342 neutral · 29,268 negative
2025
108,663 positive · 141,391 neutral · 34,296 negative

Leading coverage topics

Chemicals and Materials coverage across South Korea · ranked by full-period article count.

International And Transnational Geographic Entities295,826 articles in the full recorded period
107,695 recent · 80,667 prior
Geopolitical Disputes And Contested Areas295,825 articles in the full recorded period
107,695 recent · 80,667 prior
Administrative And Political Subdivisions295,813 articles in the full recorded period
107,691 recent · 80,660 prior
Mobile Operating Systems25,997 articles in the full recorded period
6,607 recent · 6,245 prior
Latest Gadgets And Consumer Electronics18,421 articles in the full recorded period
5,026 recent · 4,082 prior
Mobile Phone Camera Technology13,077 articles in the full recorded period
2,961 recent · 3,371 prior
Mobile Phone Pricing Strategies11,911 articles in the full recorded period
3,354 recent · 3,223 prior
International Political Relations8,851 articles in the full recorded period
1,949 recent · 2,349 prior
Mobile Phone Hardware Components8,735 articles in the full recorded period
2,432 recent · 2,182 prior
Mobile Phone Display Technologies8,120 articles in the full recorded period
2,303 recent · 2,132 prior

Recent and prior counts use the source comparison windows.

Topics gaining and losing attention

Chemicals and Materials coverage across South Korea

KeywordRecentPriorChange
countries3,9111,432173%
smart tv1,7311,21343%
smart television1,5621,03052%
android tv1,42297945%
wifi television1,37786160%
app-enabled tv1,36591849%
google tv1,18076754%
internet tv1,17774259%
streaming tv89254265%
tv os80050259%
stock performance562978-43%
geopolitical alliances313665-53%
aircraft wreckage72589-88%
stock indices233539-57%
aircraft emergency procedures64531-88%

Event and signal lenses

Chemicals and Materials coverage across South Korea

All complete annual cohorts shown
Rising

Regulatory Risk

418,918 classified articles

disputed islands, territories, countries

12.0% critical · 10.6% positive
Rising

Funding Momentum

21,449 classified articles

flagship pricing, surround sound systems, tv audio upgrades

31.2% critical · 45.8% positive
Rising

Growth

55,566 classified articles

business smartphone, budget smartphone, pcie ssd

32.4% critical · 47.9% positive

Chemicals and Materials coverage across South Korea. Topic labels describe recorded classifications and can include broad context.

RESEARCH SIGNALS

What Chemicals and Materials research is working on

10,510 papers in the recorded worldwide scope.

Expand panel +
10,510papers
10,510worldwide comparison pool
—India-affiliated papers

Research orientation

Breakthrough
4,354
Promising
3,673
Descriptive
1,709
Problem-identifying
444
Comparative
218
Cautionary
93
Critical
19

Contribution mix

Methods-led
6,240
Reviews
2,290
Empirical
1,722
Position pieces
173
Theoretical
85

Tone counts: 9,963 positive · 502 neutral · 45 negative.

Common problems researchers identify
463 papers · 4.4% of this field
  • Smart material204 papers
  • Nanotechnology87 papers
  • Actuator42 papers
  • Shape-memory alloy25 papers
  • Self-healing hydrogels23 papers
  • Polymer23 papers
  • 3D printing22 papers
  • Textile21 papers

Landmark: Covalent adaptable networks: smart, reconfigurable and responsive network systems

Cautions
93 papers · 0.9% of this field
  • Smart material30 papers
  • Actuator17 papers
  • Shape-memory alloy15 papers
  • Nanotechnology9 papers
  • Piezoelectricity8 papers
  • Composite material7 papers
  • Nanomaterials6 papers
  • SMA*6 papers

Landmark: Amorphous polyphosphate, a smart bioinspired nano-/bio-material for bone and cartilage regeneration: towards a new paradigm in tissue engine

Opportunities
8,027 papers · 76.4% of this field
  • Smart material2,086 papers
  • Actuator1,567 papers
  • Shape-memory alloy1,016 papers
  • Polymer669 papers
  • Piezoelectricity621 papers
  • Nanotechnology614 papers
  • Elastomer609 papers
  • Self-healing hydrogels525 papers

Landmark: A review of stimuli-responsive shape memory polymer composites

Leading institutions

Chinese Academy of Sciences
17,708
Nanyang Technological University
7,190
Georgia Institute of Technology
7,127
Sichuan University
5,500
University of Colorado Boulder
5,392
Beijing Institute of Technology
4,640

Leading researchers

Xiao Kuang
2,948
Christopher N. Bowman
2,857
Lei Jiang
2,795
Christopher J. Kloxin
2,726
Yanju Liu
2,179
Guoqiang Li
2,172
Hari Krishna Bisoyi
2,162
Peiyi Wu
2,151

Highly cited breakthrough-labelled papers

  • Multimaterial 4D Printing with Tailorable Shape Memory Polymers1,085 citations
  • A Bioinspired Mineral Hydrogel as a Self‐Healable, Mechanically Adaptable Ionic Skin for Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensing998 citations
  • Soft material for soft actuators817 citations
  • Conductive MXene Nanocomposite Organohydrogel for Flexible, Healable, Low‐Temperature Tolerant Strain Sensors801 citations
  • Mussel-Inspired Cellulose Nanocomposite Tough Hydrogels with Synergistic Self-Healing, Adhesive, and Strain-Sensitive Properties769 citations

Common problems researchers identify

436 papers · 7 recurring themes
7 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Smart Environment / Smart MaterialCommon problems researchers identify · 01

Smart Environment / Smart Material

111 papers

25.5% of this theme group

Smart environment (18) · Smart material (69) · Building automation (11) · Architectural engineering (14)

Smart structures and material technologies in architecture applications

Smart Materials and Structures: State of the Art and Applications

View research history
YearShare index
202223.7
202326.7
202421.0
202530.8
Piezoelectricity / Carbon NanotubeCommon problems researchers identify · 02

Piezoelectricity / Carbon Nanotube

84 papers

19.3% of this theme group

Piezoelectricity (18) · Carbon nanotube (8) · Nonlinear system (5) · Structural health monitoring (7)

Advanced Materials for Energy Harvesting and Soft Robotics: Emerging Frontiers to Enhance Piezoelectric Performance and Functionality

An investigation into size‐dependent dynamic thermo‐electromechanical response of piezoelectric‐laminated sandwich smart nanocomposites

View research history
YearShare index
2022567.0
2023542.9
2024434.7
2025506.1
Magnetorheological Fluid / ActuatorCommon problems researchers identify · 03

Magnetorheological Fluid / Actuator

66 papers

15.1% of this theme group

Magnetorheological fluid (10) · Actuator (21) · Self-healing hydrogels (13) · Artificial muscle (7)

Multifunctional soft machines based on stimuli-responsive hydrogels: from freestanding hydrogels to smart integrated systems

Hydrogels in Soft Robotics: Past, Present, and Future

View research history
YearShare index
2022515.7
2023514.0
2024470.1
2025585.1
Smart Polymer / PolymerCommon problems researchers identify · 04

Smart Polymer / Polymer

60 papers

13.8% of this theme group

Smart polymer (17) · Polymer (19) · Smart material (42) · Nanotechnology (19)

Polymer-based smart materials by printing technologies: Improving application and integration

Smart polymer brushes and their emerging applications

View research history
YearShare index
2022864.8
2023844.3
2024729.8
2025614.3
Nanotechnology / Smart MaterialCommon problems researchers identify · 05

Nanotechnology / Smart Material

58 papers

13.3% of this theme group

Nanotechnology (47) · Smart material (48) · Nanometre (4) · Nanomaterials (5)

Smart Materials for Microrobots

Responsive principles and applications of smart materials in biosensing

View research history
YearShare index
20226017.8
20236037.6
20246407.6
20255059.3
3D Printing / MorphingCommon problems researchers identify · 06

3D Printing / Morphing

32 papers

7.3% of this theme group

3D printing (18) · Morphing (8) · Biofabrication (5) · Polymer (6)

Developments in 4D-printing: a review on current smart materials, technologies, and applications

4D printing: Fundamentals, materials, applications and challenges

View research history
YearShare index
2022330.6
2023357.2
2024405.8
2025481.6
Shape-Memory Alloy / Sma*Common problems researchers identify · 07

Shape-Memory Alloy / Sma*

25 papers

5.7% of this theme group

Shape-memory alloy (24) · SMA* (11) · Shape-memory polymer (9) · Nickel titanium (4)

Application and Development of Shape Memory Micro/Nano Patterns

Micromechanics and Modelling of Adaptive Shape Memory Composites

View research history
YearShare index
2022188.9
2023195.6
2024215.0
2025202.7

Cautions

85 papers · 4 recurring themes
4 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Smart Material / NanotechnologyCautions · 01

Smart Material / Nanotechnology

42 papers

49.4% of this theme group

Smart material (27) · Nanotechnology (9) · Nanomaterials (6) · Tissue engineering (3)

Green Nanomaterials for Smart Textiles Dedicated to Environmental and Biomedical Applications

Dental Smart Materials

View research history
YearShare index
20226023.0
20236043.2
20246414.6
20255079.5
Piezoelectricity / ActuatorCautions · 02

Piezoelectricity / Actuator

19 papers

22.4% of this theme group

Piezoelectricity (8) · Actuator (9) · Composite material (6) · Hysteresis (4)

An experimental investigation on the health monitoring of concrete structures using piezoelectric transducers at various environmental tempe

Electrical and electromechanical characteristics of LTCC embedded piezoelectric bulk actuators

View research history
YearShare index
20223685.0
20233604.8
20243287.4
20252458.5
Shape-Memory Polymer / ViscoelasticityCautions · 03

Shape-Memory Polymer / Viscoelasticity

12 papers

14.1% of this theme group

Shape-memory polymer (4) · Viscoelasticity (2) · Morphing (2) · Magnetorheological fluid (2)

Advances in additive manufacturing of shape memory polymer composites

Thermomechanical and shape memory properties of thermosetting shape memory polymer under compressive loadings

View research history
YearShare index
202296.3
202388.3
202478.3
2025103.4
Shape-Memory Alloy / Sma*Cautions · 04

Shape-Memory Alloy / Sma*

12 papers

14.1% of this theme group

Shape-memory alloy (11) · SMA* (6) · Nickel titanium (3) · Damper (3)

Sensitivity of Seismic Applications to Different Shape Memory Alloy Models

Investigation on The Seismic Behavior of Steel MRF with Shape Memory Alloy Equipped Connections

View research history
YearShare index
2022186.3
2023192.5
2024211.1
2025199.6

Opportunities

6,773 papers · 7 recurring themes
7 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Smart Material / NanotechnologyOpportunities · 01

Smart Material / Nanotechnology

1,489 papers

24.8% of this theme group

Smart material (955) · Nanotechnology (295) · Architectural engineering (48) · Internet of Things (41)

Magnetically responsive intelligent fibers: nano-engineered materials and multifunctional integration for advanced applications

Advanced Smart and Multifunctional Polymer Materials

View research history
YearShare index
20226023.4
20236045.2
20246419.5
20255065.6
Polymer / Composite NumberOpportunities · 02

Polymer / Composite Number

1,472 papers

24.5% of this theme group

Polymer (182) · Composite number (132) · Photochromism (48) · Fabrication (113)

Photoplastic\nTransformation Based on Dynamic Covalent\nChemistry

Graphene/Phase\nChange Material Nanocomposites: Light-Driven,\nReversible Electrical Resistivity Regulation via Form-Stable Phase\nTransitio

View research history
YearShare index
20221847.4
20231847.2
20241769.8
20251842.9
Shape-Memory Alloy / Shape-Memory PolymerOpportunities · 03

Shape-Memory Alloy / Shape-Memory Polymer

922 papers

15.4% of this theme group

Shape-memory alloy (766) · Shape-memory polymer (338) · SMA* (232) · Nickel titanium (55)

Shape Memory Polymer Composite Actuator: Modeling Approach for Preliminary Design and Validation

Shaping shape‐memory

View research history
YearShare index
2022188.9
2023195.6
2024215.0
2025202.7
Actuator / Soft RoboticsOpportunities · 04

Actuator / Soft Robotics

689 papers

11.5% of this theme group

Actuator (565) · Soft robotics (127) · Artificial muscle (78) · Elastomer (136)

Scalable functionalized liquid crystal elastomer fiber soft actuators with multi-stimulus responses and photoelectric conversion

Smart Bioinspired Actuators: Crawling, Linear, and Bending Motions through a Multilayer Design

View research history
YearShare index
2022306.3
2023295.7
2024243.0
2025303.3
Piezoelectricity / Piezoelectric SensorOpportunities · 05

Piezoelectricity / Piezoelectric Sensor

604 papers

10.1% of this theme group

Piezoelectricity (446) · Piezoelectric sensor (59) · Piezoresistive effect (52) · Energy harvesting (67)

Piezoelectric composite cements: Towards the development of self-powered and self-diagnostic materials

Effective mechanical properties of piezoelectric–piezomagnetic hybrid smart composites

View research history
YearShare index
2022168.3
2023171.8
2024160.4
2025198.2
Self-Healing Hydrogels / Self-HealingOpportunities · 06

Self-Healing Hydrogels / Self-Healing

535 papers

8.9% of this theme group

Self-healing hydrogels (370) · Self-healing (71) · Nanotechnology (142) · Smart material (148)

Smart/stimuli-responsive hydrogels: Cutting-edge platforms for tissue engineering and other biomedical applications

Eco-Friendly, Self-Healing Hydrogels for Adhesive and Elastic Strain Sensors, Circuit Repairing, and Flexible Electronic Devices

View research history
YearShare index
20226142.9
20236168.3
20246553.4
20255274.8
Magnetorheological Fluid / Magnetorheological ElastomerOpportunities · 07

Magnetorheological Fluid / Magnetorheological Elastomer

289 papers

4.8% of this theme group

Magnetorheological fluid (234) · Magnetorheological elastomer (93) · Damper (60) · Elastomer (96)

Research and Applications of MR Elastomers

Combined magnetic and mechanical sensing of magnetorheological elastomers

View research history
YearShare index
202253.8
202347.1
202435.3
202545.5

How this field compares with the research baseline

Orientation shares compared with 25,000 papers in the reference sample.

Research orientationThis fieldReference sample
Breakthrough41.4%25.7%
Promising34.9%37.4%
Descriptive16.3%17.5%
Problem-identifying4.2%10.1%
Comparative2.1%3.8%
Cautionary0.9%4.5%
Critical0.2%1.0%

Concerns receiving less research attention

Counts and shares refer to the stated research pool. A low count describes how much of that research is recorded here, not the absence of a real-world concern.

Concern / example paperPapersShareRaised as a problemWorldwide share
Privacy & surveillanceMaking Smart Regions Smarter: Smart Specialization and the Role of Universities in Regional Innovation Ecosystems70.08%2 (28.6%)0.08%
Bias & fairnessA simple smart composite using fiber Bragg grating sensors for strain and temperature discrimination20.02%0 (0.0%)0.02%
Energy & datacenter footprintEnergy-Saving Smart Windows with HPC/PAA Hybrid Hydrogels\nas Thermochromic Materials10.01%0 (0.0%)0.01%
Water use00.0%0 (%)0.0%
Carbon & emissions of compute00.0%0 (%)0.0%
Hardware, e-waste & supply chain00.0%0 (%)0.0%
Labour & data work00.0%0 (%)0.0%
Safety & misuse00.0%0 (%)0.0%
Concentration of compute power00.0%0 (%)0.0%

Institution and researcher rankings use citations to their covered work. Research scope: worldwide. This may be broader than the company geography.

INNOVATION SIGNALS

Who files Chemicals and Materials patents in South Korea

Published patent filings in the recorded source window.

Expand panel +
41,701filings 2016–2025
8,000assignees
5,075peak annual filings

Filing momentum

01,4592,9184,3775,8362016: 3,23420162017: 3,5032018: 3,56220182019: 3,7282020: 4,24320202021: 4,0502022: 4,62620222023: 4,8582024: 4,82220242025: 5,0752025

Who files the most

Samsung
12,795
Posco
11,011
Hyundai Steel
2,305
LG Chemical
2,203
Hyundai Motor
1,524
Korea INST SCI & TECH
1,211
Korea Advanced INST SCI & TECH
1,180
UNIV Korea RES & BUS Found
801
GEOGRAPHIC FOOTPRINT

Where companies are based

Company counts, hiring and disclosed funding across the recorded hubs.

Expand panel +
8 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

UNDERSTAND THE LANDSCAPE

Chemicals and Materials in South Korea: key questions

Clear definitions for making better comparisons.

What does this landscape measure?

It measures the tracked company ecosystem, recorded funding, hiring and other available evidence. It is not a market-size estimate.

Can segment counts be added together?

No. A company can belong to several segments, so segment counts and funding can overlap.

What does a missing figure mean?

A dash or unavailable panel means the current reviewed source snapshot does not support that figure.

KEEP EXPLORING

Put South Korea in context

All landscapes ↗

Company ecosystem snapshot: 2 September 2026. Funding is recorded in USD; filed accounts retain their stated currency and reporting basis. Each section identifies its own coverage. The news and research behind these sections is explorable in Prism.

Canonical landscape ↗
Coming soon