(Symbiotic 10) Extreme Environment Materials Chemistry Lab

AboutAbout the lab

Understanding the inside of materials through both experiment and computation

The Extreme Environment Materials Chemistry Lab studies materials chemistry related to the environment and energy.
The lab synthesizes inorganic materials and investigates their properties, and it also uses computational chemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance to reveal the atomic and electronic structure inside materials.
It is a good fit for students who want to work on both experiments and computation.
Together with companies and research institutions in Japan and abroad, the lab works on socially important issues such as battery materials, radioactive waste disposal, and carbon dioxide fixation.

ResearchResearch themes

Building on materials analysis techniques that use computational chemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance, the lab conducts materials research on socially important issues such as battery materials, radioactive waste disposal, and carbon dioxide fixation. It aims to understand phenomena inside materials based on fundamental science and to apply that knowledge to practical materials development and safety assessment.

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Materials Research with Computational Chemistry↗

Accurately understanding the behavior of electrons and the movement of atoms, ions, and molecules in solid materials, and using that understanding for materials design, remains a major challenge. Using classical molecular dynamics, first-principles calculations, and first-principles molecular dynamics, the lab reveals phenomena inside materials at the atomic and molecular level. It also works on materials exploration and property prediction combined with machine learning.

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Materials Analysis with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance↗

Nuclear magnetic resonance is a technique that uses the atomic nuclei inside a substance to investigate the structure, mobility, and interactions of molecules and ions. The lab develops analysis methods that use the various observable interactions to evaluate molecular motion and local structure inside materials, and it also writes programs to analyze large amounts of data efficiently.

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Solid Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Batteries↗

All-solid-state batteries are expected to be next-generation batteries that combine high energy density with safety. The lab uses molecular simulation and solid-state NMR to study which paths ions take through a solid electrolyte and which structures lead to high ionic conductivity, and it advances the design and development of materials based on these findings.

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Research on Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste↗

To dispose of radioactive waste safely over long periods of time, it is necessary to understand how materials and minerals change in the disposal environment and how radionuclides migrate and are adsorbed. Through both experiments and calculations, the lab clarifies the altered layers that form on the surface when waste glass reacts with water, and the adsorption states of radionuclides on natural minerals.

VoicesStudent voices

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Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.