DM

Organization

Division of Materials Research

Division of Materials Research
Director of the Division

NAKANISHI, Kazuki

The Division of Materials Research( DM) carries out research on various materials and substances, their properties, production processes, structural control, and the evaluation of their performance toward many applications, and also promotes development of device designs to integrate these materials into novel systems.
In addition to research on the improvement of industrial materials, the utilization of resources, and the optimization of energy sources, the DM also promotes cutting-edge research on novel materials and nanomaterials that are expected to be useful in future energy systems, energy-saving devices, and advanced materials systems from a long-term perspective.

Division of Materials Research

  • Director of the Division

    NAKANISHI, Kazuki

  • Vice-director of the Division

    MIZUGUCHI, Masaki

Movie

Division of Materials Research Introduction video

  • 「材料創製部門」は物質の持つ可能性を究明し新しい材料を創製する

Section / Group

Materials Physics Section

The Materials Physics Section carries out fundamental and applied research on dielectrics, magnetic materials, superconductors, ionic conductors, optical properties, catalytic properties, and other material functions. Research on material properties that are necessary to achieve new devices through the enhancement of properties and the discovery of new functions is also performed.

Computational Fluid Dynamics

We are working on computational fluid dynamics(CFD) to analyze fluid phenomena by computer simulation. In particular, we focus on the CFD of multiphase flow in which gas, liquid, and solid phases coexist and flow while interacting with each other. Multiphase flow is intimately related to crystal growth.  In addition to the simulation method used to analyze the convection, diffusion, and mixing of several kinds of liquid at an interface, we carry out simulation of the interaction between liquid and solid particles and among liquids, bubbles, and particles. We are also involved in experimental research on the development of a method of controlling the movement of disperse phases such as particles and bubbles using vortices in a liquid.

Simulation of mixing of density-stratified fluid caused by vortex ring

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Member

  • Professor

    UCHIYAMA, Tomomi
    Project

    Development of Advanced Simulation Method for Flow Problems and Utilization of Natural Flow Energy

  • Assistant Professor

    TAKAMURE, Kotaro
    Project

    Efficiency enhancement for crystal growth process utilizing fluid convection and mixing behavior

  • Visiting Professor

    NAKAYAMA, Hiroshi

Porous Materials Chemistry

Preparation of porous monoliths by the phase separation method and their applications to HPLC columns
and battery electrodes.

Based on the liquid-phase synthesis utilizing polymerization-induced phase separation, we are developing various porous materials ranging from ceramics, organic polymers to organic-inorganic hybrids. The materials with a controlled porous structure are applied to separation media, adsorbents, catalyst supports and battery electrodes. We aim at revealing the influence of pore property on each functionality by interdisciplinary researches with analytical chemistry, organosynthesis and electrochemistry in order to contribute to the development in energy and environmental fields.

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Member

  • Director of the Division, Professor

    NAKANISHI, Kazuki
    Project

    Structural Control of Porous Materials via Liquid-Phase Processes and their Applications

  • Visiting Professor

    SUGAHARA, Yoshiyuki

Hard & Flexible Materials

Development and Their Applications of Hard & Flexible Materials.

 

In general, flexible materials bearing high recoverability from a large deformation are soft, while hard materials with high elastic modulus show poor flexibility.  We aim at developing novel porous materials with both high flexibility and high stiffness by designing macromolecular structures as well as porous morphologies.

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Member

  • Designated Associate Professor

    HASEGAWA, George
    Project

    Development of Hard & Flexible Materials by designing macromolecular structures and porous morphologies

Nanostructure Analysis and Design

Functional properties of various ceramic materials are often related to the atomic structures and electronic states in the lattice mismatch regions such as the surfaces, grain boundaries, and interfaces. We are attempting to develop new functional ceramic materials including new ceramic processing techniques from the viewpoint of controlling the lattice mismatch region using the nanoscale analysis technique of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

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Member

  • Professor

    YAMAMOTO, Takahisa
    Project

    Development of Ceramic Materials by Controlling the Atomic/Electronic Structures at Nano Scale

Theoretical Chemistry

My group is involved in the development of machine learning algorithms for chemical data, the automatic design of molecules using structure‒property relationships, study on excited state dynamics, parallel algorithms and programs for material simulations on massively parallel computers, and new quantum-chemical theory for molecules and solids ( neural networks, graph theory, graphics processing units, CUDA, density matrices, Green’s function).

Ab initio study of the photoabsorption and charge separation process on the dye-sensitized semiconductor surface. A neural net learns the predicted structure-property relations and suggests better dyes.

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Member

  • Associate Professor

    YASUDA, Koji
    Project

    Quantum Chemistry and Chemoinformatics, Methodology Development and Material Design

  • Assistant Professor

    IUCHI, Satoru
    Project

    Computer Simulations of Molecular Systems and Material Design

Materials Design Section

This Section promotes researches of material design with a focus on the microstructures of materials used in environments, electronics, mechanics and energy-related fields. Toward the aim of improving the performance and making major strides in terms of enhancements, the MD performs advanced studies through new compositions, novel composites and nanomaterials from the perspective of two- and three-dimensional and/or nanometer-scaled structures.

Nanobiodevice Design Engineering (Baba Lab.)

Environmental Materials Engineering

Material engineering for environmental preservation can contribute to reduce resources and an energy risk as well as to bring environmental depollution. Especially, we focus on the development of new materials and technologies for environmental purification systems from the perspective of resource saving and sustainable development.

Nanoparticles-composite material for environmental depollution (automotive catalyst)
and its microstructure with Ce and Zr elemental mapping in nanometer scale by electron microscopy

Honeycomb-type ceramics for engine exhaust treatment and noble metal/CeO2 nanoparticle catalysts
(developed by present labs)

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Member

  • Assistant Professor

    HATTORI, Masatomo
    Project

    Development of functional composite materials for environmental purification

Engineering for Nano-spintronics and Magnetic Materials

Our goal is to pursue the energy conversion via spin currents and to contribute to the construction of an energy-creating and energy-saving society in the future. In particular, we are working on experimental and theoretical studies of spin caloritronics, which explores the physics of the interaction between heat and spin, and on the development of materials and devices for generating spin currents from heat currents to generate electric power. Moreover, we are conducting research and development on the creation of new functional magnetic materials that will contribute to next-generation magnetic recording materials, permanent magnet materials, and spintronic devices.

Research concept of the Engineering for Nano-spintronics and Magnetic Materials Group

ナノスピン・磁性材料創成工学グループの研究コンセプト

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Member

  • Vice-director of DM, Professor

    MIZUGUCHI, Masaki
    Project

    Development of functional energy materials based on magnetic materials

  • Associate Professor

    MIYAMACHI, Toshio
    Project

    Atomic scale surface and interface characterizations of functional magnetic materials

  • Researcher

    QIANG, Bowen
  • Visiting Professor

    KOMORI, Fumio

Nano Ionics Design Engineering

All-solid-state batteries (SSBs) have been expected as next generation rechargeable batteries with high energy density. Our research Gp. has focused on science on interfacial ion dynamics around the homo/hetero interface. Our recent target is sulfide-based, oxide-based, and fluorine shuttle-type SSBs, which are financially supported by NEDO, JST-ALCA, and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas “Interface Ionics”.

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Member

  • Professor

    IRIYAMA, Yasutoshi
    Project

    R&Ds of Advanced Solid State Ionics Devices and Science on Interfacial Ion Dynamics

Nanobiodevice Design Engineering

We are investigating cancer genomic medicine, iPS cell regenerative medicine, pandemic prevention, and quantum cancer immunotherapy towards future medicine through the integration of novel nanobiodevices, big data AI analysis, and quantum life technology. These projects are supported by MEXT Q-LEAP Quantum Life Science, MEXT Material DX Platform Programs.

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Member

  • Professor

    BABA, Yoshinobu
    Project

    Nanobiodevices, AI, and Quantum Life Sciences for Future Medicine

Materials Processing Section

  In addition to research related to material production processes, the Materials Processing Section performs research on mechanical energy conversion devices that make use of high-performance thermal-insulation and shielding materials, thermoelectric power-generating and dielectric elastomers, and other such materials, as well as research on, for example, high-efficiency hydrogen production, combustion, and power-generation processes.

Functional Nanomaterials

Controlled assembly of 2D nanosheets
and its application to electronic devices.

  Nanomaterials with controlled size, morphology, and dimensions have been emerging as important new materials owing to their unique properties. In particular, two-dimensional(2D) nanosheets, which possess atomic or molecular thickness, have opened up new possibilities in exploring fascinating properties and novel devices. The Materials Processing Section is working on the creation of inorganic 2D nanosheets and the exploration of their novel functionalities in electronic and energy applications.

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Member

  • Professor

    OSADA, Minoru
    Project

    Development of environmentally friendly electronics using two-dimensional materials

  • Associate Professor

    KOBAYASHI, Makoto
    Project

    Development of nanosheets and layered compounds with controlled electronic structures

  • Assistant Professor

    YAMAMOTO, Eisuke
    Project

    Bottom-up preparation of non-layer strucutred metal oxide nanosheet

  • Visiting Professor

    OZAWA,Masakuni

Self-assembled Functional Nanomaterials

Nanoparticles and other nanosized materials (nanomaterials) not only have novel physical properties that differ from those of bulk materials, but also exhibit even more novel properties when they are arranged in an orderly manner to form higher-order structures. To successfully bring out these properties, precise structuring technology of nanomaterials is necessary, but it is not easy to control the higher-order structure of nanomaterials alone.

In the Self-Assembled Functional Nanomaterials Division, we are studying crystallization of nanomaterials by controlling the interaction between nanomaterials and precisely controlling their arrangement and higher-order structures, utilizing the self-assembling ability of biomolecules such as nucleic acids. By creating novel materials that exhibit physical phenomena at the nanoscale, we contribute to the development of devices based on completely new principles.

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Member

  • Associate Professor

    TAGAWA, Miho
    Project

    The Creation of Bio-inspired Novel Functionalized Nanomaterials

  • Designated Associate Professor

    SRIVASTAVA Sunita
  • Researcher

    KUMAR Chandan

Radiation Chemistry & Biology

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Member

  • Associate Professor

    KUMAGAI, Jun
    Project

    Chemical Reactions and Biological Effects Induced by Photo- and Ionizing Radiation as Studied by Detection of Radicals

  • Visiting Professor

    HARADA, Katsuyoshi
  • Visiting Faculty

    TSUDA, Taishi