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Yoshida-Masuda Lab
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The lab investigates how hard, brittle ceramics deform and fracture, starting from their grain boundaries.
AboutAbout the lab
Controlling grain boundaries to give ceramics new properties
The Yoshida-Masuda Lab studies how "structural ceramics", which are used where strength and hardness are required, deform and fracture.
The mechanical properties of structural ceramics depend heavily on the arrangement and composition of atoms at grain boundaries, the interfaces between crystal grains.
The lab aims to give ceramics distinctive mechanical properties by controlling grain boundary structure and atomic movement.
The lab also studies a phenomenon in which brittle ceramics deform greatly at lower temperatures than before when a strong electric field is applied.
Key terms
- Structural ceramics
- Ceramics used in applications that require high strength or hardness. They resist heat well but are brittle.
- Grain boundary
- The interface where the small crystal grains that make up a ceramic or metal meet one another.
- Superplasticity
- The property of a material stretching greatly without breaking. It occurs when fine crystal grains slide past one another.
NewsLab news
Professor Yoshida received the Research Achievement Award from the Japan Society of Powder and Powder Metallurgy
A doctoral student received the Dean's Award of the Graduate School of Engineering (Research Excellence)
A master's student received the Outstanding Poster Award from the Kanto Branch of the Japan Institute of Metals
A master's student received the Excellent Presentation Award at the Autumn Symposium of the Ceramic Society of Japan
Lecturer Masuda received the International Exchange Encouragement Award (Takayoshi Iseki Award) from the Ceramic Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to bring out distinctive mechanical properties in structural ceramics by controlling the fine structure of their grain boundaries and the movement of atoms. It seeks to understand the mechanisms of deformation and fracture in terms of the bonds between atoms, and works on developing new structural ceramic materials.
*Illustrative imageHigh-temperature deformation and fracture with controlled grain boundaries
Even brittle ceramics can change shape at high temperatures, where atoms move easily. Based on the atomic arrangement at grain boundaries, the lab aims to control high-temperature deformation at will.
*Illustrative imageSuperplasticity under a strong electric field
If the crystal grains are made fine enough, even ceramics can exhibit superplasticity. The lab has found that applying a strong electric field makes this occur at lower temperatures and faster rates than before, and studies the mechanism and its applications.
*Illustrative imageStrong electric fields and mechanical properties
Applying a strong electric field makes ceramics much easier to bend significantly. The lab investigates how this relates to point defects (small disruptions in the arrangement of atoms) created by the electric field and to the movement of atoms.
*Illustrative imageLayered mille-feuille structures
The lab creates in ceramics the layered "mille-feuille structure" known from magnesium alloys, using a sintering technique that passes electric current through the material, and examines how kink deformation (the bending of the layers) affects mechanical properties.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Yoshida-Masuda Lab consist of faculty members, master's and undergraduate students, administrative staff, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorHidehiro YoshidaPublications ↗
- LecturerHiroshi MasudaPublications ↗
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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: “Silicon nitride Si3N4 bearing balls 1–20 mm” Lucasbosch / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- High-temperature deformation and fracture with controlled grain boundaries: “FESEM-fracture-morphology-of-TiC-TiB-sub2sub-ceramic-composites” Xuegang Huang, Chun Yin, Zhongmin Zhao, Long Zhang, Junyan Wu / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Superplasticity under a strong electric field: “Superplastic deforming” MrXavius / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Strong electric fields and mechanical properties: “Schottky v frenkel defect” Aminba1376 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Layered mille-feuille structures: “Kinked biotite” Strekeisen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Yamabe-Mitarai Lab): “Turbine blades ( )” Håkan Dahlström from Malmö, Sweden / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Edagawa Lab (Strength and Physical Properties of Materials)): “Icosahedrite Diffraction Pattern” Paul Steinhardt / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Nambu Lab): “EBSD orientation map of ferrous lath martensite” Tiberio / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Enoki-Shiraiwa Lab): “Bolt-fatigue-fracture” Wang Hui-li, Qin Si-feng / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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