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Uchida Lab
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A lab that builds useful solids using metal oxide clusters as building blocks.
AboutAbout the lab
Creating useful solids from nanoscale building blocks.
Uchida Lab assembles metal oxide clusters like building blocks to create solids with useful functions.
The lab uses anionic inorganic metal oxide clusters called polyoxometalates.
Using these as building blocks, the lab synthesizes porous ionic crystals (PICs) and uses their voids as sites for adsorbing, transporting, and converting molecules and ions.
Based on inorganic chemistry, coordination chemistry, and physical chemistry, the lab is developing applications in catalysts and proton conductors.
Key terms
- Polyoxometalate
- A nanosized cluster of metal oxide formed by a few to dozens of metal and oxygen atoms linked together
- Porous ionic crystal
- A crystal with many voids, formed by positive and negative ions held together by electrostatic forces
- Proton conductor
- A material that transports hydrogen ions (protons). It is used as the electrolyte in fuel cells
NewsLab news
Paper co-authored with the university's Institute of Industrial Science published in Chem. Eng. J.
Paper on controlling gas adsorption in porous ionic crystals accepted by JACS Au
Paper on improving proton conductivity accepted by Inorganic Chemistry
A master's student received the Encouragement Award of the Department of Multidisciplinary Sciences
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies porous ionic crystals (PICs), a new class of porous materials. By varying the charge of the polyoxometalate, the ligands of the macrocation, and the size and electronic configuration of the metal ion, the lab precisely controls the structure and function of crystalline solids.
*Illustrative imageSynthesis of metal clusters using PICs as templates
Clusters made of only a very small number of metal atoms show catalytic activity and luminescence that depend on the number of atoms, unlike bulk metals. Using a redox-active PIC as a template, the lab controls the size and luminescence properties of metal clusters inside its pores.
*Illustrative imageDevelopment of crystalline proton conductors
The performance of a fuel cell depends on the proton conductor that carries hydrogen ions. Focusing on polyoxometalates, the lab aims to develop conductors that do not depend on external humidity by introducing polymers into the pores of ionic crystals.
*Illustrative imageSynthesis and functional exploration of PICs
The lab uses the nanoscale space inside PICs as a site for storing, transporting, and converting molecules and ions, aiming to develop functional materials. In addition to solid acid catalysis, the lab works on solid base reactions and electrode reactions.
MembersFaculty
Uchida Lab members consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, academic specialists, and master's and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorSayaka UchidaPublications ↗
- LecturerHaruka Hirai
- Assistant ProfessorNaoya Haraguchi
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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: “Alfa-Keggin” Quimiprof / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Synthesis of metal clusters using PICs as templates: “TEM; Silver Nanoparticles ( )” National Institute of Standards and Technology / Public domain (cropped)
- Development of crystalline proton conductors: “Membrane Electrode Assembly - Electro-Chemical Reaction Diagram” CFA213FCE / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Synthesis and functional exploration of PICs: “Zunyite-Keggin-Komplex” Bubenik / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Mafune Lab): “Rb9O2 cluster” Axiosaurus / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Hiraoka Lab): “Hourglass with sand” John Morgan / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Terao-Iwai Lab): “Cycloparaphenylene-3D-balls” Jynto (talk) / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kiriya Lab): “Molybdenite-3D-balls” Ben Mills / Public domain (cropped)
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