A team of Korean scientists say they have developed a technology to improve the strength of steel and its resistance to abrasion, while minimizing deformation by coating its surface with nitrogen nanoparticles.

The team led by Kim Sung-wan of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology said they successfully developed the new nitrogenizing technology, with which they can coat steel surfaces with nitrogen nanoparticles by creating high-density plasma energy in a vacuum.

Kim said the latest technology allows one to nitrogenize steel faster than with existing methods, enabling high-quality heat processing without compromising the stiffness of steel.

He added that the technology can be applied to precision-processing of steel equipment and low-temperature processing of auto parts.