Editor’s Note
This article explores the burgeoning industrial applications of nanodiamonds and how strategic global partnerships are key to unlocking their potential across diverse sectors.
[Sejong=Newspim] Reporter Lee Kyung-tae = A technological innovation that began in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, is shaking up the global advanced industry. This is the story of SW Chemicals. Founded in 2019, the company is leading the next-generation advanced materials market through explosion synthesis-based nanodiamond and polycrystalline diamond technology, receiving intense attention from domestic and international industries.
Under the philosophy that “technology is small, but its impact is big,” SW Chemicals possesses world-class nanodiamond and polycrystalline diamond synthesis, purification, and dispersion technologies. Its customized solutions based on these technologies are applied across a wide range of fields, including lubricant additives, abrasives, coatings, electronic components, and biomedical applications.
Explosion-synthesized nanodiamonds and polycrystalline diamonds are, as their name suggests, small, but their functionality is beyond imagination. SW Chemicals produces high-purity nanodiamonds and polycrystalline diamonds through the recycling of waste explosives. This material boasts significantly superior polishing speed and scratch resistance compared to conventional abrasives. Recently, the company succeeded in developing micron-sized polycrystalline diamonds for polishing, gaining recognition for its technological prowess and differentiation in the global market.
Applications are actively underway not only in the electronics and semiconductor fields but also in the aerospace sector, with satellite component coating materials currently under testing. This suggests the infinite expansion potential of nanomaterials across industrial boundaries.
By applying eco-friendly processes and establishing the entire process from synthesis to purification and dispersion in a sustainable manner, the company also receives high marks in terms of ESG management.
This technological capability is also attracting concentrated interest from domestic and international investors, including HB Investment. As of 2025, SW Chemicals has demonstrated global competitiveness by achieving 65% of its total sales from the European market. It is expanding into various industries with major companies such as Saint-Gobain (France), Pureon (Switzerland), and Carbodeon (Finland) as demand partners.
This serves as a case demonstrating the potential for technological applications that transcend the limitations of existing industrial domains. Collaboration continues with various global companies in aerospace, bio, electronics, and automotive sectors.
SW Chemicals is growing beyond a simple materials company into an advanced materials partner that is changing the paradigm across industries. The company plans to continue supplying customized nanomaterials to various industries and expanding the technological foundation for a sustainable future society.
With the belief that “small technology changes big industries,” SW Chemicals is leading South Korea’s advanced materials industry to the center of the world through nanotechnology.