An leads development of specialty materials for automotive interiors

'Committed to differentiated material development and commercialization'

An Tae-jin, head of the Mobility Tech Center at Samyang Corp.'s Chemical Research Institute, receives a Prime Minister's commendation at the inaugural Technology Developer Day ceremony held at the Fairmont Ambassador Hotel in Yeouido. [Samyang Corp.]
An Tae-jin, head of the Mobility Tech Center at Samyang Corp.'s Chemical Research Institute, receives a Prime Minister's commendation at the inaugural Technology Developer Day ceremony held at the Fairmont Ambassador Hotel in Yeouido. [Samyang Corp.]

Samyang Corp. announced Tuesday that An Tae-jin, head of the Mobility Tech Center at its Chemical Research Institute, received a Prime Minister's commendation at the inaugural Technology Developer Day ceremony held Monday at the Fairmont Ambassador Hotel in Yeouido.

Organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT, this year's event was the first held since Technology Developer Day was designated a national commemorative day.

An was recognized for leading research into polycarbonate (PC) EMC for automotive interiors incorporating siloxane-based polycarbonate (Si-PC), as well as high-transmittance PC materials — which allow light to pass through without reflection — for daytime running lights using an isosorbide-based light-transmittance enhancer. His work was credited with strengthening the competitiveness of South Korea's automotive materials industry.

PC offers excellent transparency and impact resistance but is weak in chemical resistance and low-temperature impact performance, limiting its use in automotive interiors largely to small button components. As vehicle cabin designs evolved and interior parts grew larger, the need for specialized PC that could pass head impact tests became increasingly apparent. Head impact tests assess how safely a passenger's head withstands a collision with interior components during an accident or sudden stop.

Samyang's Si-PC combines siloxane, the backbone of silicone materials, with standard PC to maintain strong impact resistance at low temperatures and stable performance even when exposed to chemicals during the painting process. The material has passed head impact tests and is now used in large interior components such as center fascias and crash pads, as well as interior ambient light covers, in domestically produced vehicles.

An has led the development of Si-PC-based PC EMC for automotive interiors since 2017. Since deliveries to domestic automakers began in 2019, cumulative sales through the first quarter of this year have exceeded 10,000 metric tons and 50 billion won ($36.9 million) in revenue. The team has also registered 14 related patents, two of which have been recognized as international patents.

An also spearheaded the development of high-transmittance PC materials for automotive daytime running lights — a first in South Korea. Daytime running lights switch on automatically when a vehicle starts, helping pedestrians and other drivers identify the vehicle and reducing traffic accidents. Bright, uniform illumination is essential for visibility in daylight, and the materials used must be resistant to impact and heat.

Samyang's high-transmittance PC incorporates a new light-transmittance enhancer based on isosorbide, a white biotech material produced exclusively in South Korea by Samyang Innochem, a chemical affiliate of Samyang Group. Isosorbide is derived from starch extracted from plant sources such as corn and chemically processed; when applied to plastics, it improves weather resistance — the ability to resist discoloration from sunlight — as well as durability and light transmittance.

An began developing the isosorbide-based high-transmittance PC for automotive daytime running lights in 2021 and achieved commercial production in 2024. The material is used not only in optical components inside headlamps but also in transparent optical parts that diffuse light evenly for interior ambient lighting, and last year annual sales surpassed 130 metric tons. The material was recognized as a New Excellent Technology by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2022, and in January it received certification from the Automotive Manufacturers Equipment Compliance Agency (AMECA), paving the way for entry into the US market.

Across both automotive material development projects, An served as project leader, overseeing every stage from research planning and strategy formulation to new compound and additive design, performance testing, process optimization, quality verification, technical certification and customer approval.

"The materials recognized on this occasion are meaningful in that they have enhanced the competitiveness of South Korea's automotive materials industry and contributed to material self-sufficiency," An said. "I will continue to devote myself to developing differentiated materials and expanding commercialization outcomes."


klee@heraldcorp.com