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Nishi Lab
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The lab studies rubber friction that resists slipping even in water or oil.
AboutAbout the lab
No slipping, even when wet.
The Nishi Lab studies the friction of soft materials such as rubber and biological materials.
Dry rubber shows high friction, but when water or oil is present, a lubricating film forms at the contact surface and rubber slips more easily.
For shoe soles and car tires, keeping friction high even in the presence of liquid has long been a challenge.
The lab tackles this challenge by developing techniques for observing contact surfaces, as well as ultra-high-friction surface designs and materials.
Key terms
- Tribology
- The study of friction, wear, and lubrication between objects that touch and move against each other
- Soft matter
- Materials that are soft and easily deformed, such as rubber and biological materials
- Fluid lubrication film
- A film formed when liquid enters between two surfaces in contact. It reduces friction
NewsLab news
Associate Professor Nishi was awarded the title of Tohoku University Distinguished Researcher
Associate Professor Nishi received the Young Scientists' Prize of the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
ResearchResearch themes
The lab investigates how soft materials such as rubber generate friction in water and oil. It develops techniques for observing contact surfaces, as well as surface designs and materials that increase friction.
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MembersFaculty
The members of the Nishi Lab consist of faculty, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, researchers, visiting researchers, administrative assistants, and international students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorToshiaki Nishi
VoicesStudent voices
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Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Nishi Lab
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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: “Non-wetting behavior of a surface of pelletized highly hydrophobic sand. Contact angle between water droplet and the surface is 145.22 degrees” Murat Baisariyev and Aidar Seralin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Tribology of Soft Matter: “Blue Gray knit texture” Photos Public Domain / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Yamaguchi-Ishizako Lab): “Gait laboratory” D. Gordon E. Robertson / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Murata-Abe Lab): “Molecular Machines of Life” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Nomura (S.)-Matsubayashi Lab): “Sarfus.LipidVesicles” Nanolane / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Hayashibe-Zhu Lab): “Cronos humanoid robot” Science Swiss @ Singapore / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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