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Ariga Lab
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The lab assembles molecules in the nano world to create membranes as smart as living things.
AboutAbout the lab
Building life-like membranes through nanoscale architecture
The Ariga Lab studies how to arrange and assemble molecules to create ultrathin films and nanosized structures with new functions.
In the cell membranes of living organisms, proteins and other molecules are linked together and react, carrying out complex functions with precision.
Through "nanoarchitectonics," which creates functions by combining ordinary materials, the lab aims to realize such membranes artificially.
Targeting the mechanisms of senses such as touch, taste, and smell, as well as the transmission of information and energy, the lab combines this work with information processing by machine learning.
Key terms
- Nanoarchitectonics
- An approach that assembles atoms and molecules at the nanoscale to give materials new functions. Architecture in the nano world.
- Organic semiconductor
- A semiconductor made of molecules with a carbon backbone. It is used as a material for devices such as flexible electronic components.
- Doping
- A treatment that adjusts the amount of electrons or holes that carry electricity in a semiconductor, for example through a reaction with another substance.
- Fullerene
- A molecule in which carbon atoms are connected in a spherical shape like a soccer ball.
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab works on nanoarchitectonics: creating ultrathin films and nanoscale structures from molecules, and producing functions from combinations of ordinary materials. Using water surfaces and the boundaries between liquids (interfaces), it works with organic semiconductor thin films, carbon materials such as fullerenes, and molecular machines.
*Illustrative imageMaking ultrathin organic semiconductor films on water surfaces
The lab makes ultrathin films of various molecules using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method, in which molecules are spread over a water surface to form a single-layer film. Using the surface of an ionic liquid, it developed a method for forming films at temperatures above 100°C, and obtained semiconductor thin films with high crystallinity and well-aligned orientation.
*Illustrative imageChemical doping and molecular recognition at interfaces
Focusing on the fact that redox reactions in living organisms proceed precisely in water, the lab is developing a method for doping organic semiconductors in water. By combining this with molecular recognition at the interface between the film and water, it aims to create sensor mechanisms that mimic taste and smell.
*Illustrative imageControlling the shapes of carbon nanomaterials
Using fullerenes, the lab makes micro-sized cubes with pockets on each face that can be opened and closed, as well as crystals with countless tiny pores. It also studies aligning columnar fullerene crystals on a water surface to serve as scaffolds that guide cells to grow in a uniform manner.
*Illustrative imageOperating molecular machines
The lab is trying to easily control molecular machines, whose motion can be controlled by external energy input, by using the properties of interfaces. The research introduction also covers the control of the motion of flexible molecules by a team from NIMS that represented Japan in the Nanocar Race, an international race of molecular cars.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Ariga Lab consist of faculty, researchers, doctoral and master's students, and students from other universities.As of 2026
- ProfessorKatsuhiko Ariga
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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: “Thin Film Interference Soap Bubble” Pksois23 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Making ultrathin organic semiconductor films on water surfaces: “Lipid Islands on Soap Bubble” KarlGaff / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Chemical doping and molecular recognition at interfaces: “PH målinger af citrusfrugter” Tjalland / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Controlling the shapes of carbon nanomaterials: “C60-fullerene anion crystals deposited over a platinum wire” Adrian Villalta / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Operating molecular machines: “Rotaxane and Polyrotaxane” May lam / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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