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Molecular Systems Chemistry Lab
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The lab creates molecular systems that harness light energy through molecular self-assembly.
AboutAbout the lab
Creating molecular systems that turn light into useful work.
The Molecular Systems Chemistry Lab studies the creation of "molecular systems" that convert light energy into useful work using self-assembly, in which molecules assemble spontaneously.
Using organic molecules, metal complexes, and nanomaterials as building parts, the lab develops photon upconversion, which converts low-energy light into higher-energy light, and technologies for storing solar energy.
Students who join the lab first gain experience in basic organic synthesis, then work on designing and synthesizing new molecular building blocks and functional molecules.
On the lab's website, it is introduced under the name "Kimizuka Lab."
Key terms
- Self-assembly
- A phenomenon in which appropriately designed molecules spontaneously build up higher-order structures.
- Photon upconversion
- A phenomenon in which two low-energy photons produce one higher-energy photon.
- Energy landscape
- The overall energetic profile of a molecular system, including its ground states, excited states, and transition states.
NewsLab news
A paper on a solid material that converts visible light into ultraviolet light was published in Nature Communications
Professor Kimizuka received the 77th Chemical Society of Japan Award
A paper on electric-field-induced long-range alignment of ionic liquids was published in J. Am. Chem. Soc.
A paper in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. was featured on the inside cover
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to create "molecular systems" that convert light energy into useful work, based on molecular self-assembly. Using organic molecules, polymers, biomolecules, metal complexes, and nanomaterials as molecular building blocks, it studies photon upconversion and technologies for storing solar energy.
*Illustrative imageMolecular self-assembly
The lab studies self-assembly, in which functional molecular assemblies form spontaneously from molecular building blocks such as organic molecules, metal complexes, inorganic compounds, and metal nanocrystals. It aims to extend the principles of self-assembly used by living systems into chemistry.
*Illustrative imageThe concept of molecular systems chemistry
The lab defines "molecular systems chemistry" as chemistry that links, in time and space, physical and chemical phenomena that produce useful work to molecular self-assembly. Its goal is technology that organizes multiple functional elements into molecular assemblies and controls the energy landscape at the molecular level.
*Illustrative imagePhoton upconversion in molecular assemblies
Photon upconversion faced two problems: in the solid state, the diffusion of dye molecules is restricted, and in air, oxygen quenches the excited state. The lab has therefore developed a variety of molecular systems that use the mechanism by which triplet excited states migrate in condensed or self-assembled systems of dye molecules.
MembersFaculty
The Molecular Systems Chemistry Lab consists of faculty members, technical staff, postdoctoral researchers, and doctoral and master's students.As of 2026
- Project ProfessorNobuo Kimizuka
- ProfessorRyo Kubota
- Associate ProfessorYoichi Sasaki
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: “Lipid-like and protein-like self-assembly” Shenyu Yang, Yun Yan, Jianbin Huang, Andrei V. Petukhov, Loes M. J. Kroon-Batenburg, Markus Drechsler, Chengcheng Zhou, Mei Tu, Steve Granick & Lingxiang Jiang / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Molecular self-assembly: “Self assembled monolayer” Klaflin / Public domain (cropped)
- The concept of molecular systems chemistry: “Encapsulation of DNA” Maxim Kutyrev / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Photon upconversion in molecular assemblies: “Fluorescence in calcite” Jan Pavelka / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (安田研究室
（高等研究院） ): “OLED SUBPIXELS” TECH EDU / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (反応・物性理論研究室
（先導物質科学研究所） ): “L-menthol-3D-molecular-model-engraved-render-CAS” MolGod Scientific / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (有機機能分子化学研究室): “Organic Chemistry Lab by marthou” Marthou / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (生体分子工学研究室): “Applying transdermal patch” British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Download this book for free at http://open.bccampus.ca / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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