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Woo Chul Kim

Yonsei University · Materials Science

About the Lab

Professor Woo Chul Kim's research lab specializes in phonon engineering and nanomaterials for advanced thermal and energy conversion applications. The lab focuses on reducing thermal conductivity in crystalline materials through atomic-scale defects and nanostructuring, particularly using nanoparticles and heterogeneous composites to enhance thermoelectric performance. Key research directions include phonon scattering mechanisms, thermal transport engineering in semiconductors and superalloys, and the development of high-efficiency thermoelectric and magnetic tunnel junction materials. The lab combines theoretical modeling with advanced synthesis and characterization techniques to design materials with tailored thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties.

phonon engineeringthermoelectricsnanocompositesthermal conductivityhalf-metallic materials

Research Overview

Papers
190
Total Citations
5,211
Papers (5y)
41
Primary Field
Materials Science

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
41total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
211total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|856 citations·2006
Thermal Conductivity Reduction and Thermoelectric Figure of Merit Increase by Embedding Nanoparticles in Crystalline Semiconductors
Woochul Kim, Joshua M. O. Zide, A. C. Gossard, Dmitri O. Klenov, Susanne Stemmer, Ali Shakouri, Arun Majumdar
SJR Q1Physical Review Letters

Atomic substitution in alloys can efficiently scatter phonons, thereby reducing the thermal conductivity in crystalline solids to the "alloy limit." Using In0.53Ga0.47As containing ErAs nanoparticles, we demonstrate thermal conductivity reduction by almost a factor of 2 below the alloy limit and a corresponding increase in the thermoelectric figure of merit by a factor of 2. A theoretical model suggests that while point defects in alloys efficiently scatter short-wavelength phonons, the ErAs nan

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
2
Article|331 citations·2015
Strategies for engineering phonon transport in thermoelectrics
Woochul Kim
SJR Q1Journal of Materials Chemistry C

We discuss representative strategies of phonon engineering by categorizing them into the methods affecting each component of thermal conductivity.

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
3
Article|172 citations·2006
Phonon scattering cross section of polydispersed spherical nanoparticles
Woochul Kim, Arun Majumdar
SJR Q2Journal of Applied Physics

An approximate analytical solution is proposed to estimate the phonon scattering cross section of polydispersed spherical nanoparticles. Using perturbation of the Hamiltonian due to differences in mass and bond stiffness between a host medium and a spherical nanoparticle, an analytical solution is obtained for the scattering cross section in the Rayleigh limit when the size parameter approaches zero. In the geometrical scattering limit, when the size parameter approaches infinity, the van de Hul

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
4
Article|155 citations·2007
Nanostructuring expands thermal limits
Woochul Kim, Robert Y. Wang, Arun Majumdar
SJR Q1Nano Today
Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
5
Article|145 citations·2021
High power density of radiative-cooled compact thermoelectric generator based on body heat harvesting
Salman Khan, Jiyong Kim, Kyeongman Roh, Gimin Park, Woochul Kim
SJR Q1Nano Energy
Civil and Structural EngineeringEngineering
6
Article|144 citations·2020
Self-charging wearables for continuous health monitoring
Jiyong Kim, Salman Khan, Peng Wu, Sungjin Park, Hwanjoo Park, Choongho Yu, Woochul Kim
SJR Q1Nano Energy
Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
7
Article|116 citations·2015
High Thermoelectric Performance of a Heterogeneous PbTe Nanocomposite
Hongchao Wang, Junphil Hwang, Matthew L. Snedaker, Il‐Ho Kim, Chanyoung Kang, Jungwon Kim, Galen D. Stucky, John E. Bowers, Woochul Kim
SJR Q1Chemistry of MaterialsOA

In this paper, we propose a heterogeneous material for bulk thermoelectrics. By varying the quenching time of Na doped PbTe, followed by hot pressing, we synthesized heterogeneous nanocomposites, a mixture of nanodot nanocomposites and nanograined nanocomposites. It is well-known that by putting excess amounts of Na (i.e., exceeding the solubility limit) into PbTe, nanodots with sizes as small as a few nanometers can be formed. Nanograined regions with an average grain size of ca. 10 nm are obse

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
8
Article|111 citations·2017
Flexible thermoelectric power generation system based on rigid inorganic bulk materials
Yoomin Eom, Dimuthu Wijethunge, Hwanjoo Park, Sang Hyun Park, Woochul Kim
SJR Q1Applied Energy
Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
9
Article|90 citations·2020
Review on Mechanical Thermal Properties of Superalloys and Thermal Barrier Coating Used in Gas Turbines
Sunguk Wee, Jeonghyeon Do, Kyomin Kim, Changho Lee, Chang-Sung Seok, Baig-Gyu Choi, Yoon Suk Choi, Woochul Kim
SJR Q2Applied SciencesOA

This paper describes the manufacturing method and properties of a superalloy as a gas turbine blade material and a thermal barrier coating to protect it. The development process of superalloy and characteristics of each casting method were introduced. In particular, the single crystal superalloys were analyzed for creep and tensile properties with temperature according to chemical composition. In addition, the theories of creep life prediction models were summarized and comparative analysis was

Aerospace EngineeringEngineering
10
Article|90 citations·2003
Fabrication and magnetoresistance of tunnel junctions using half-metallic Fe3O4
Woochul Kim, Kenji Kawaguchi, Naoto Koshizaki, M. Sohma, Tetsuro Matsumoto
SJR Q2Journal of Applied Physics

Magnetite (Fe3O4) is believed to be half metal, providing 100% spin-polarized conduction electrons. The half-metallic nature of magnetic electrodes for tunneling junction devices is expected to induce a large magnetoresistance. We investigated the structural and chemical properties of interfaces in ferromagnet–insulator–ferromagnet (Fe3O4/MgO/Fe) tunnel junctions. Al/Ag/Fe3O4/MgO multilayers for magnetic tunnel junction have been fabricated on α-Al2O3 (001) and MgO (100) substrates by a molecula

Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsPhysics and Astronomy
11
Article|89 citations·2006
Cross-plane lattice and electronic thermal conductivities of ErAs:InGaAs∕InGaAlAs superlattices
Woochul Kim, Suzanne L. Singer, Arun Majumdar, Daryoosh Vashaee, Zhixi Bian, Ali Shakouri, Gehong Zeng, John E. Bowers, Joshua M. O. Zide, A. C. Gossard
SJR Q1Applied Physics LettersOA

We studied the cross-plane lattice and electronic thermal conductivities of superlattices made of InGaAlAs and InGaAs films, with the latter containing embedded ErAs nanoparticles (denoted as ErAs:InGaAs). Measurements of total thermal conductivity at four doping levels and a theoretical analysis were used to estimate the cross-plane electronic thermal conductivity of the superlattices. The results show that the lattice and electronic thermal conductivities have marginal dependence on doping lev

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
12
Article|85 citations·2019
Liquid-metal-electrode-based compact, flexible, and high-power thermoelectric device
Dongkeon Lee, Hwanjoo Park, Gimin Park, Jiyong Kim, Hoon Kim, Hanki Cho, Seungwoo Han, Woochul Kim
SJR Q1Energy
Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
13
Article|83 citations·2008
Reducing Thermal Conductivity of Crystalline Solids at High Temperature Using Embedded Nanostructures
Woochul Kim, Suzanne L. Singer, Arun Majumdar, Joshua M. O. Zide, Dmitri O. Klenov, A. C. Gossard, Susanne Stemmer
SJR Q1Nano Letters

Thermal conductivity of a crystalline solid at high temperature is dominated by the Umklapp process because the number of high frequency phonons increases with temperature. It is challenging to reduce the thermal conductivity of crystalline solids at high temperature although it is widely known that, by increasing the atomic defect concentration, thermal conductivity of crystalline solids can be reduced at low temperature. By increasing the concentration of ErAs nanoparticles in In 0.53Ga 0.47As

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
14
Article|74 citations·2011
Effect of the carbon nanotube type on the thermoelectric properties of CNT/Nafion nanocomposites
Yongjoon Choi, Yuhee Kim, Sung Geun Park, Young Gon Kim, Bong June Sung, Sung-Yeon Jang, Woochul Kim
SJR Q2Organic Electronics
Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
15
Article|74 citations·2011
Observation of Anisotropy in Thermal Conductivity of Individual Single-Crystalline Bismuth Nanowires
Jong Wook Roh, Kedar Hippalgaonkar, Jin Hee Ham, Renkun Chen, Ming Zhi Li, Peter Ercius, Arun Majumdar, Woochul Kim, Wooyoung Lee
SJR Q1ACS Nano

The thermal conductivity of individual single-crystalline Bi nanowires grown by the on-film formation of nanowires (ON-OFF) has been investigated. We observed that the thermal conductivity of single-crystalline Bi nanowires is highly anisotropic. Thermal conductivity of nanowires (diameter ∼100 nm) in the off-axis [102] and [110] directions exhibits a difference of ∼7.0 W/m·K. The thermal conductivity in both growth directions is diameter-dependent, which indicates that thermal transport through

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science

Research Areas

Materials ChemistryCivil and Structural EngineeringElectronic, Optical and Magnetic MaterialsBiomedical EngineeringMechanical EngineeringAerospace Engineering

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