Our research on thermoelectric materials has been primarily driven by their practical applications in energy harvesting and emerging electronic devices. Among various thermoelectric materials, bismuth telluride-based alloys remain the most commercially viable candidates for near-room-temperature applications because of their excellent thermoelectric energy conversion performance.

In this presentation, I will briefly introduce the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) and highlight our recent progress in developing thermoelectric technologies for waste heat recovery from marine engines. Our research spans materials design and device fabrication, including defect engineering to enhance the thermoelectric properties of bismuth telluride- based alloys and additive manufacturing approaches for the 3D fabrication of thermoelectric materials and components. These efforts are aimed at bridging the gap between high- performance thermoelectric materials and practical waste heat recovery systems. Furthermore, I will introduce our recent research on ductile silver chalcogenide thermoelectric materials for next-generation wearable and VR/AR devices, with potential applications in the metaverse. Inspired by the pioneering work of Prof. Xun Shi’s group, we are exploring the processing, microstructural evolution, and thermoelectric transport properties of silver chalcogenides. In particular, our recent efforts focus on understanding the relationship between crystalline/amorphous phase fractions and the resulting electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties.

金炅泰（Kyung Tae Kim）博士，韩国材料科学研究院（KIMS）纳米材料研究部首席研究员，兼任未来元宇宙用热电实验室主任。他于2006年获得韩国科学技术院（KAIST）材料科学与工程博士学位，先后在三星电子柔性器件实验室、德国莱布尼茨固体材料研究所（IFW Dresden）从事研发工作。自2009年加入KIMS以来，长期致力于粉末冶金、金属基纳米复合材料、热电能量转换材料及金属增材制造领域的基础研究与工程应用。他主持多项韩国国家级重大战略项目（包括废热回收热电研究中心、元宇宙热电材料核心项目等），并担任韩国粉末冶金与材料研究所（KPMI）增材制造分会副主席，以及《Journal of Powder Materials》主编。金教授曾获韩国科学技术日部长奖、KOFST科学技术优秀论文奖，并于2025年入选斯坦福大学/Elsevier全球前2%顶尖科学家榜单。迄今在Acta Materialia、Additive Manufacturing、ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces、Nano Energy等期刊发表论文百余篇，研究聚焦于碳纳米管/石墨烯增强金属基复合材料、高强铝合金增材制造专用粉体开发、以及Bi-Te系和Ag基硫族化合物热电材料的微结构调控与性能优化，同时推动面向固态能量收集和金属粉末反应性控制的应用基础研究。