NCKU Materials Science Team Wins Silver at 2025 MTE for Thermoelectric Self-Powered Tech in Wearables & Healthcare-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

With the rapid growth of the telemedicine market, the demand for wearable medical devices is increasing. However, traditional wearable medical devices are limited by battery capacity, and charging issues have become a concern. After years of research, Professor Chia-Yun Chen’s team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) developed a groundbreaking thermoelectric self-powered technology and applied it to wearable devices and telemedicine. Recently, their innovation, titled "Wearable Thermoelectric Emerging Green Energy Technology for Telemedicine Care," won the Silver Award at the Malaysia MTE International Invention Exhibition.


By 2026, the telemedicine market is expected to reach a scale of $400 billion, with an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33.2%. Telemedicine often requires wearable medical devices, and the technology developed by Professor Chia-Yun Chen’s team provides a disruptive solution to the energy demands of these devices. Led by Professor Chen, the team, including Dr. Da-Cheng Wei, along with students Guan-Yi Kuo and Shih-Hsiu Chen, competed and won the award, showcasing NCKU's research capabilities in green energy technology and smart healthcare. This breakthrough brings new momentum to the telemedicine industry.


Professor Chia-Yun Chen explained that the innovative technology utilizes a composite material of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene sulfonate and carbon nanotubes, which can efficiently convert body heat into stable electricity at room temperature. This breakthrough addresses the issues of frequent recharging and limited battery capacity in traditional wearable devices, making the devices more reliable and convenient.


Through a two-step solution-based surface treatment technique, the team successfully enhanced the Seebeck coefficient from 111.1 µV/K to 226.2 µV/K, achieving a twofold increase. Additionally, the power factor was improved from 931.6 µW/m·K² to 7693.8 µW/m·K², significantly boosting energy conversion efficiency, making it an ideal choice for long-term health monitoring and smart medical applications. Professor Chia-Yun Chen emphasized that this technology not only enhances the reliability and stability of devices but also reduces costs, providing a sustainable and efficient energy solution for the telemedicine market.


Professor Chia-Yun Chen's team, in addition to their technical research and validation, portable device development, and patent applications, has closely aligned their work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly addressing Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). The team is currently actively promoting the commercialization of the technology and integrating it with industry to further expand the smart healthcare market.


The technology developed by Professor Chia-Yun Chen's team has been granted a patent with the assistance of the Innovation  Headquarters at NCKU. The center pointed out that the patent application process was supported through NCKU’s patent evaluation mechanism, which included prior case searches and industry needs exploration from the research stage. Throughout the patent application and maintenance process, the team received continuous support from the center’s exclusive technical managers and technology transfer center, ensuring that the technology received optimal protection and providing greater negotiation space for future promotion and licensing.


NCKU has demonstrated outstanding performance in intellectual property management. According to the statistics published by the Intellectual Property Office of the Ministry of Economic Affairs for 2024, NCKU ranked first among the top 21 universities in Taiwan in terms of the number of invention patent applications from Taiwanese nationals. With 121 patent applications, NCKU has been the top university for 3 consecutive years in this category. Over the past 5 years, NCKU has consistently exceeded 100 patent applications annually, making it the only university in the top 100 to achieve this milestone for 5 consecutive years, accumulating a total of 581 patents and ranking first four times.