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Terao-Iwai Lab
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The lab builds functional materials by assembling organic molecules like the components of a building.
AboutAbout the lab
Assembling molecules to build the world's smallest structures.
The Terao-Iwai Lab studies molecular architectonics, in which organic molecules are treated as the pillars and walls of a house and assembled into structures.
The lab carefully designs where and how to connect functional molecules on the nanometer scale.
It combines molecular architecture techniques, centered on organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry, with the fields of applied physics, interface chemistry, and theoretical chemistry.
Through this approach, the lab works on creating a wide range of functional molecules, supramolecular materials, and molecular catalysts.
Key terms
- Molecular architectonics
- A field that develops techniques for assembling organic molecules into structures, treating them as the pillars, walls, and roof of a building
- Supramolecular chemistry
- The chemistry of large structures and functions formed when molecules gather together without forming bonds between them
- Rotaxane structure
- A structure in which an axle molecule passes through a ring-shaped molecule. Both ends of the axle are bulky, so the ring cannot slip off
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Master's Thesis Encouragement Award from the Department of Multidisciplinary Sciences
A student received the Outstanding Oral Presentation Award at the Student Presentation Session of the Kanto Young Polymer Researchers' Meeting
A student received the Outstanding Presentation Award at the Symposium on Polymer Gels
A student received the Best Polymer Presentation Award of the Ibaraki Area at the Ibaraki Area Young Researchers' Meeting
ResearchResearch themes
The lab develops techniques for assembling organic molecules into structures, treating them as the pillars, walls, and roof of a house. By combining molecular architecture techniques, centered on organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry, with applied physics, interface chemistry, and theoretical chemistry, the lab creates functional molecules, supramolecular materials, and molecular catalysts.
*Illustrative imageMaterials that can be decomposed by light and acid
The lab discovered a silicon compound that is stable against light and against acid individually, but decomposes when light and acid act on it at the same time, and applied it to polymer materials. Depending on whether acid is present, the material can be switched between a light-stable state and a state that can be decomposed by light.
*Illustrative imageMolecular motors with a new structure
Rotaxane structures had long been considered unable to produce rotary motion, but the lab developed a molecular motor with a linked rotaxane structure. Because its structure is simpler than conventional ones, it can be synthesized easily and with high efficiency.
*Illustrative imagePhotosensitizers for artificial photosynthesis
The lab found a design guideline for developing photosensitizers that simultaneously achieve the excellent visible-light absorption and high durability required for practical artificial photosynthesis. Performance is improved by dividing roles between two types of molecules, one positively charged and one negatively charged.
*Illustrative imageHybrid materials with a controlled interface
At the interface where organic and inorganic materials meet, the lab prevented molecules from clumping together by covering each one individually with a ring-shaped molecule in a rotaxane structure. In joint research with Osaka Metropolitan University, the lab showed that this makes an oxygen reduction catalyst highly efficient and highly selective.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Terao-Iwai Lab consist of faculty, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and specialized academic staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorJun TeraoPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorTomohiro IwaiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorYuta TakemasaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorShin-Ya TakizawaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorYoichi MasuiPublications ↗
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: “Cycloparaphenylene-3D-balls” Jynto (talk) / CC0 (cropped)
- Materials that can be decomposed by light and acid: “Stereolithography cycloidal drive” Clemenspool / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Molecular motors with a new structure: “Overcrowded alkane molecular motor” Kutay B. Sezginel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Photosensitizers for artificial photosynthesis: “Dimer of porphyrin” Bismoldirs / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Hybrid materials with a controlled interface: “Platinum nanoparticles” PieroSpeleo / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (真船研究室): “Rb9O2 cluster” Axiosaurus / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (豊田(太郎)研究室): “Phosphatidylcholine liposomes at phase-contrast microscopy” ArkhipovSergey / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (内田(さやか)研究室): “Alfa-Keggin” Quimiprof / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (桐谷研究室): “Molybdenite-3D-balls” Ben Mills / Public domain (cropped)
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