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Functional Metallic Materials Lab
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A lab that designs and develops functional metallic materials such as shape memory alloys.
AboutAbout the lab
Taking functional metallic materials from design to practical use.
The Functional Metallic Materials Lab develops biomedical shape memory alloys, superelastic alloys, and low-Young's-modulus alloys, aiming at medical and industrial applications.
Using experimental and computational data together with machine learning, the lab searches for new alloy compositions that show the desired functions, and for guidelines for materials design.
The lab works consistently from fabricating alloys, through evaluating their mechanical and functional properties, to analyzing their atomic-level microstructure with electron microscopy.
On the lab's website, the lab is introduced under the name "Kim-Ko Lab."
Key terms
- Shape memory alloy
- An alloy that returns to its original shape after being deformed. It is used in medical devices such as guidewires and stents
- Young's modulus
- A value expressing how resistant a material is to deformation. If an implant's value is higher than that of bone, loads are less easily transmitted to the bone
- Stress shielding
- A phenomenon in which an implant with a higher Young's modulus than bone makes it harder for loads to be transmitted to the surrounding bone
NewsLab news
A paper on the shape memory effect and superelasticity of Ti-Zr-Nb-Sn alloys was published in Journal of Materials Research and Technology
A paper on the shape memory effect and superelasticity of Ti-Hf alloys was published in Materials Letters
A paper on the shape memory effect and superelasticity of multi-component alloys with low magnetic susceptibility was published in Scripta Materialia
ResearchResearch themes
Aiming at medical and industrial applications, the lab develops biomedical shape memory and superelastic alloys and low-Young's-modulus alloys, and uses machine learning to search for new alloy compositions. It works consistently from fabricating alloys, through evaluating their properties, to analyzing their microstructure with electron microscopy, in order to clarify the relationships among composition, microstructure, and properties, and the origins of materials' functions.
*Illustrative imageBiomedical shape memory and superelastic alloys
Shape memory alloys are used in medical devices such as guidewires, stents, and orthodontic archwires. The Ti-Ni alloy in practical use (Nitinol) still has unresolved issues with the biocompatibility and long-term safety of Ni, so the lab is developing new Ti-based alloys.
*Illustrative imageBiomedical low-Young's-modulus alloys
Pure Ti and Ti alloys are used for implant materials such as artificial hip joints, but their Young's modulus, which is higher than that of bone, causes stress shielding. The lab works on developing low-Young's-modulus alloys that are close to bone in flexibility while retaining the necessary strength and durability.
*Illustrative imageDesigning alloys with machine learning
The lab uses machine learning to design biomedical Ti-Zr alloys and high-entropy alloys. Focusing on predicting and optimizing the composition ranges where superelasticity and the shape memory effect appear, it integrates experimental data with first-principles and thermodynamic calculations to predict transformation behavior and elastic properties.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Functional Metallic Materials Lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and master's and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorHee Young Kim
- Assistant ProfessorJong Bin Ko
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Memory Spring Quadrat” DaniSMI / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Biomedical shape memory and superelastic alloys: “Drug-eluting stent” https://www.scientificanimations.com/ / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Biomedical low-Young's-modulus alloys: “Dog's titanium TPLO implant ( )” Olgierd (Creative Commons licensed only) / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Designing alloys with machine learning: “Alloy and metal samples - Beryllium-Copper, Inconel, Steel, Titanium, Aluminum, Magnesium” Bill Abbott / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Soft X-ray Ultrafine Processing Lab): “Extreme ultraviolet lithography tool” Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Magnetic Functional Engineering Lab): “Nuclear magnetic resonance devices in CAFIA laboratory” Sarka Na kopci / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Organic Semiconductor Physics and Engineering Lab): “Detail of polycrystalline silicon solar cell” Elvis untot. / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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