LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Biomaterial Science Lab
Machine-translated · View original
The lab uncovers how biological and natural phenomena work, using experiments and mathematical models.
AboutAbout the lab
Elegant solutions to everyday problems
The Biomaterial Science Lab finds its research subjects in living organisms and in the nature surrounding them, and studies how they work.
The lab combines detailed experimental observation with mathematical modeling and numerical simulation to uncover these mechanisms.
The lab works on the motion of adhesives as they peel off, the friction involved in landslides and earthquakes, and the mechanics of plant roots.
Building on this understanding of mechanisms, the lab also conducts research on making use of biomass materials.
Key terms
- Adhesive
- A soft polymer used in adhesive tapes and bandages. It sticks immediately when applied and can also be peeled off.
- Granular material
- A material made up of many small grains, such as sand, soil, or crushed rock.
- Numerical simulation
- A method that expresses a phenomenon in mathematical equations and calculates them on a computer to reproduce its behavior.
- Biomass
- A renewable resource produced by living organisms, such as plants.
NewsLab news
Graduate school admissions information session held
Paper on wet powders published in Geophysical Research Letters
Paper on lubrication theory for polymer gels published in Tribology Letters
Paper on clay deformation published in Geophysical Research Letters
ResearchResearch themes
The lab finds research subjects in living organisms and in nature, and uncovers how they work by combining experiments, modeling, and simulation. A distinguishing feature is that the lab carries out everything, from proposing a problem to solving it, within the lab itself.
*Illustrative imageMechanisms of adhesion and peeling
The lab develops methods that connect small to large scales to describe how the soft polymers (adhesives) used in adhesive tapes and similar products stick and peel off, and also proposes ways to control this behavior.
*Illustrative imageFriction during grain crushing
Using laboratory experiments and X-ray CT, the lab observed the crushing of granular materials seen in faults and landslides. It found a stage in which friction stays constant, and a stage in which fine grains fill the shear band and friction drops substantially.
*Illustrative imagePredicting landslide failure
Landslides can accelerate from slow movement into sudden failure. Using water-injection experiments on clay-rich soil together with a friction model, the lab investigates how this transition occurs.
*Illustrative imageLandslide flanks and stability
Focusing on the often-overlooked flanks of landslides, the lab ran experiments on wet granular assemblies. It found that a small amount of water temporarily lowers the force resisting slip, and that this force then rises sharply just before the material becomes saturated with water.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Biomaterial Science Lab consist of faculty, project researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTetsuo YamaguchiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorNaruhito HoriPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
On a 4-point scale, ● marks where students' answers fall
Who is this lab for?
What's great about this lab?
What did you learn after joining?
What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
Where do graduates go?
RelatedLabs similar to Biomaterial Science Lab
Forest Chemistry LabFaculty of Agriculture, Major in Bio-based Materials ChemistryDegradation and synthesis of wood components (cellulose, hem…
Wood Chemistry LabFaculty of Agriculture, Major in Bio-based Materials ChemistryElucidation of the chemical structures of plant cell wall co…
Polymer Materials Science LabFaculty of Agriculture, Major in Bio-based Materials ChemistryBiomass plastics and biodegradable plastics that perform lik…
Paper Science LabFaculty of Agriculture, Major in Bio-based Materials ChemistryCreating environmentally friendly advanced materials by unde…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: “Exposed roots - geograph.org.uk - 1615271” Richard Webb / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Mechanisms of adhesion and peeling: “Sticky tape” André Karwath aka Aka / CC BY-SA 2.5 (cropped)
- Friction during grain crushing: “Fault gouge (San Andreas Fault Zone, Mecca Hills, Riverside County, California, USA) )” James St. John / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Predicting landslide failure: “Landslide scarp 4757” Chris Light / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Landslide flanks and stability: “Песчинки-1. Желтый строительный песок” Alexander Klepnev / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (森林化学研究室): “Trametes versicolor 2025 G1” George Chernilevsky / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (木材化学研究室): “Pine log cross-sections, Teutendorf” Radomianin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (高分子材料学研究室): “BiodegradablePlasticUtensils2” Scott Bauer / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (製紙科学研究室): “Nanocellulose” Innventia / Public domain (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.