Topics

Zero-energy building systems and technologies

- Following World Energy Outlook 2021 by International Energy Agency, the building sector accounts for almost one-third of total energy consumption, and around 30% of CO2 emissions come from building energy consumption. 'Zero-energy building systems and technologies' are attractive solutions for those environmental problems. We are interested in up-to-date thermal techniques which can make the zero-emission building with renewable energy. In detail, we are investigating the light absorption and scattering phenomena of nanoparticles and applying those phenomena for free heating and cooling of the building. Ultimately, our goal research is to make a significant impact on the prevention of global warming and air pollution. The research topic includes :


  • Radiative cooling for building and mobility

  • Solar thermal energy harvesting using plasmonic nanofluids

  • Thermal energy storage system

Hydrogen energy storage systems

- Since the 2015 Paris agreement, global automobile companies including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen have concentrated on research and development of eco-friendly cars. Korean automobile companies such as Hyundai and KIA also make efforts to develop eco-friendly vehicles, and the hydrogen energy vehicle is one of their strong ambitious strategies. Generally, hydrogen energy is a powerful renewable and sustainable energy, but its explosion is a critical issue for the application. In this point of view, metal hydrides are the most fascinating materials since metal hydrides have extremely low charging pressure and high energy density compared to other methods. We are planning to develop an urban hydrogen storage system employing metal hydrides. In detail, we conduct research about the thermal management techniques of the system as well as the entire hydrogen storage system.


  • Hydrogen energy storage with high-energy-density and safety

  • Thermal management system for metal hydride

  • Renewable energy network with hydrogen and solar thermal energy

Advanced thermal energy solutions

- As described above, thermal energy is only one solution for global challenges like global warming and air pollution. Also, the thermal management system of cutting-edge devices, like flexible devices, data storage centers, laser weapons, is a key factor for enhancing their performance extremely. It is one of our research interests to design thermal energy solutions for those challenging applications. Our research scope includes not only the control of thermal properties but also the optimization of the heat transfer mechanism. In other words, material science and mechanical engineering are converged to make optimized solutions. Based on these research capabilities and ambitions, we are going to provide thermal energy solutions which are compact, efficient, and powerful.


  • Convergence with materials science and artificial intelligence

  • Up-to-date techniques for thermal energy solutions(Image processing with infrared thermometry, Two-phase flow, etc.)

  • Proper technologies for global issues