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(Symbiosis 3) Soft Materials Chemistry Lab (formerly Biomimetic Polymer Lab)
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A lab that builds liquid crystals and particles up from molecules to create color and electrical functions.
AboutAbout the lab
Arranging molecules to create color and function
The Soft Materials Chemistry Lab studies the chemistry of soft materials such as liquid crystals, polymers, and colloidal particles.
The lab designs and synthesizes columnar liquid crystals whose polarization direction changes in response to an electric field, as well as molecules that induce a large twist in liquid crystals.
Learning from the coloration of peacock feathers, it has also developed structurally colored materials made by assembling melanin particles prepared from polydopamine.
The lab also works on mechanisms that give rise to new functions, such as magnetic materials that exploit the properties of specific elements.
Key terms
- Liquid crystal
- A state between solid and liquid. The molecules are aligned in one direction, and that direction can be changed by voltage.
- Structural color
- Color produced not by pigments but by fine structures that reflect and interfere with light.
- Chiral dopant
- An additive mixed into a liquid crystal to create a twist in the arrangement of its molecules.
NewsLab news
An article explaining structurally colored materials based on particle surface control was published in the Journal of the Society of Powder Technology, Japan
A student won the Iris Award at the 2026 Japanese Liquid Crystal Conference
A student won the Best Student Award and the Student Encouragement Award at the SCEJ Kanto Branch Chiba Meeting 2026
A paper on a highly durable structurally colored coating resistant to delamination was accepted by Advanced Materials Interfaces
A student won the Excellent On-Demand Presentation Award at the 75th SPSJ Annual Meeting
ResearchResearch themes
The lab builds soft materials such as liquid crystals, polymers, and colloidal particles up from molecules and draws out new functions from them. Its work includes liquid crystals that respond to electric fields and structurally colored materials inspired by coloration in living organisms.
*Illustrative imageColumnar Liquid Crystals That Respond to Electric Fields
Some liquid crystals form cylindrical molecular assemblies (columns) and change their polarization direction in response to an electric field. When a voltage is applied with a microelectrode to a sheet in which the columns are aligned, only the area where the voltage is applied becomes polarized. Other molecules are then arranged there and polymerized to create nanoscale components.
*Illustrative imageThe Challenge of the Biaxial Nematic Phase
Current displays work by using voltage to switch the orientation of rod-like molecules by a large angle, which is said to limit their speed. The lab continues its research on the biaxial nematic phase, in which only the orientation of the short axis switches while the long axes of the molecules remain aligned, and has realized it by using intermolecular forces.
*Illustrative imageChiral Dopants That Induce a Large Twist
A chiral dopant is an additive that creates a stable twist in the nematic liquid crystal layer of a liquid crystal display. The molecular shapes that induce a twist efficiently were not well understood, but through its original molecular design the lab succeeded in developing an extremely efficient chiral dopant.
*Illustrative imageMelanin-Based Structurally Colored Materials
Peacock feathers display beautiful colors through structural color arising from the fine structure of melanin granules produced in the body. The lab has independently developed melanin particles made from polydopamine and assembles them, achieving highly saturated colors and control over the angle dependence of the color.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Soft Materials Chemistry Lab consist of faculty and students in the doctoral program, master's program, and fourth year of the undergraduate program.As of 2026
- ProfessorKeiki Kishikawa
- ProfessorMichinari Kohri
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: “Dancing colours” Alexprague / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Columnar Liquid Crystals That Respond to Electric Fields: “Fingerprint texture of a liquid crystal resembling Van Gogh's style” Wojciech Tomczyk / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- The Challenge of the Biaxial Nematic Phase: “IPS LCD panel” Jack Whittaker (https://jackw01.github.io) / CC0 (cropped)
- Chiral Dopants That Induce a Large Twist: “Cholesteric liquid crystal” Igor Gvozdovskyy / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Melanin-Based Structurally Colored Materials: “Peacock feathers closeup” user:AlexDuarte / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Biomedical Imaging Lab (Suga Lab)): “An MRI scanner” Walter Davies / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Surface Electrochemistry Lab): “Platinum-crystals” Jurii / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab ((Kyosei 8) Polymer Chemistry Lab (formerly Energy Conversion Materials Chemistry Lab)): “Nylon” Superplus at German Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Quantum Device Physics Lab): “Close-up of glass crystal with many facets causing dispersion spectrum from light” Pittigrilli / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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