LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Nano Functional Chemistry Lab
Machine-translated · View original
The lab explores energy and material conversion with nanosized catalyst materials.
AboutAbout the lab
Inorganic nanomaterials for a sustainable society
The Nano Functional Chemistry Lab develops new functional substances and materials by making use of the characteristics of various elements.
Aiming at energy-saving and resource-saving chemical processes, the lab develops nanoscale substances that show high performance in catalysis, energy storage, and mass transport.
By controlling the size, shape, and composition of solids at the nanometer scale, the lab makes new catalysts with high activity.
On the lab’s website, it is introduced as the “Yamauchi Lab.”
Key terms
- Catalyst
- A substance that makes a chemical reaction proceed more easily. This lab works on catalysts that are nanoscale solids.
- Nanoalloy
- Nanometer-sized particles in which multiple metals are mixed together.
- Operando spectroscopy
- Spectroscopy that examines a catalyst while the reaction is proceeding, while simultaneously measuring the reaction’s conversion and selectivity.
NewsLab news
A paper on electrochemical CO reduction on nanowires was accepted by Inorg. Chem. Front.
A paper on CO2 electrolysis on platinum-group surface-alloyed Cu cubes was accepted by Chem. Sci.
Results of joint research with the University of Tokyo in GteX were accepted by ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces
A paper on tandem CO2RR catalysts was accepted by Nanoscale
A master’s student won the Reiwa 7 (2025) Kyushu Branch Chair’s Award of the Chemical Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
To build a sustainable society, the lab develops catalysts that convert energy and materials efficiently. By controlling the size, shape, and composition of nanoscale solids, it also makes materials with functions such as magnetism, gas storage, and ion and atom transport.
*Illustrative imageCatalysts that make alcohols from carboxylic acids using electricity
The lab aims to make alcohols directly from carboxylic acids using electricity derived from renewable energy. It searched for catalysts for the reduction of oxalic acid and electrochemically synthesized glycolic acid with a TiO2 catalyst.
*Illustrative imageNanoalloy catalysts for ammonia synthesis
Ammonia is a raw material for fertilizers and is also drawing attention as a fuel that does not emit CO2. Because Ru easily loses activity under hydrogen-rich conditions, the lab makes Ru-Fe nanoalloy catalysts in which Fe is dissolved as a solid solution and studies their properties.
*Illustrative imageObserving catalysts in situ during reaction
The lab uses in situ and operando spectroscopy, which investigates the state of a catalyst during reaction and the reaction processes on its surface under actual reaction conditions. It combines infrared and X-ray absorption spectroscopy with modulation excitation spectroscopy to follow fast surface reactions.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Nano Functional Chemistry Lab consist of faculty, academic researchers, technical staff, Visiting Scholars, and doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorMiho Yamauchi
- Associate ProfessorHirokazu Kobayashi
- Assistant ProfessorMasaki Donoshita
- Assistant ProfessorTomohiro Noguchi
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Nano Functional Chemistry Lab
Organic Reaction Chemistry LabFaculty of Science, Department of ChemistryIn living organisms, only the necessary compounds are synthe…
Photofunctional Materials Chemistry LabFaculty of Science, Department of ChemistryDevelopment of molecular devices: synthesis of novel materia…
Biocatalytic Chemistry LabFaculty of Science, Department of ChemistryUnderstanding the chemical principles of life phenomena in n…
Functional Coordination Chemistry (Yamauchi) LabFaculty of Science, Department of ChemistryFunctional metal complexes for energy conversion; developmen…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “Energy Vault Test Tower 2021” Caumasee / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Catalysts that make alcohols from carboxylic acids using electricity: “Electrolysis Apparatus” Ivan Akira / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Nanoalloy catalysts for ammonia synthesis: “Severnside fertilizer works - geograph.org.uk - 189990” Sharon Loxton / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Observing catalysts in situ during reaction: “Scanning electron microscope - UFCH JH (2020) 01” Tadeáš Bednarz / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Organic Reaction Chemistry Lab): “Crystallisation? Reaction? Don't remember ( )” Максим Фомич / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Photofunctional Materials Chemistry Lab): “Barium ferrite crystal structure” Yilin Evan Li / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Biocatalytic Chemistry Lab): “Plantes médicinales planche 1 - Medicinal plants, medical herbs, botanical illustrations, plate 1 - Public domain illustration from Larousse du XXème siècle 1932” EN NOIR & BLANC / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Functional Coordination Chemistry (Yamauchi) Lab): “Metal-binding pterin complex spacefill” Jynto (more from this user) / CC0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.