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Surface Electrochemistry Lab
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A lab that examines and designs fuel cell catalyst surfaces at the atomic level.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the reactions that generate electricity from the structure of the surface.
The Surface Electrochemistry Lab conducts basic research toward solving energy problems and developing clean energy.
In fuel cells and water electrolysis, reactions take place on the surface of electrodes.
Using single-crystal electrodes whose surface structures are aligned at the atomic level, the lab searches for structures on which reactions proceed quickly.
Using microscopes, spectrometers, and large synchrotron radiation facilities, the lab observes electrode surfaces directly as they are in solution.
Key terms
- Electrochemistry
- The field of chemistry that deals with reactions in which electrons are exchanged between a substance and an electrode, and the mechanisms behind them
- Single-crystal electrode
- An electrode made from a metal whose atoms are arranged in a uniform order, which makes it possible to study the relationship between surface structure and reactions
- Oxygen reduction
- A reaction in which oxygen accepts electrons and turns into water, taking place at the air-side electrode of a fuel cell
NewsLab news
A master's student won a Student Excellent Presentation Award at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Electrochemical Society of Japan
A master's student won a Best Poster Award at the International Fuel Cell Workshop
A student group won an Excellence Award at the Chiba University Security Bug Contest
A master's student won an Outstanding Poster Award at the 32nd Fuel Cell Symposium
ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts basic research aimed at solving energy problems and developing clean energy. It develops innovative electrocatalysts by combining techniques that control surface structure at the molecular and atomic level with state-of-the-art surface analysis.
*Illustrative imageElectrode surfaces that activate fuel cells
In a fuel cell, hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction take place on the surface of electrodes. Using single-crystal electrodes whose surface structures are varied systematically, the lab clarifies at the atomic level the structures of the sites where reactions proceed actively.
*Illustrative imageSpeeding up reactions with hydrophobic organic molecules
When the surface of a platinum electrode is covered with a water-repelling organic compound, the way the water adsorbed on the surface is connected changes. The lab has confirmed that the longer the alkyl chain and the greater the hydrophobicity, the higher the oxygen reduction activity.
*Illustrative imageMeasuring electrode interfaces over time
The lab follows what happens on electrode surfaces in solution in situ. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and surface X-ray diffraction at large synchrotron radiation facilities, it investigates unknown surface structures and their dynamics.
*Illustrative imageModeling electrode interfaces in ultrahigh vacuum
A thick layer of electrolyte makes precise analysis of the interface difficult. The lab removes the electrolyte, leaving only the adsorbed molecules and ions, and determines the structure of water and ions near the electrode surface in ultrahigh vacuum.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Surface Electrochemistry Lab consist of faculty, students in the doctoral program, master's program, and undergraduate program, and administrative assistants.As of 2025
- ProfessorNagahiro Hoshi
- ProfessorMasashi Nakamura
- Associate ProfessorKenichi Inoue
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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: “Platinum-crystals” Jurii / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Electrode surfaces that activate fuel cells: “Toyota Mirai fuel cell stack and hydrogen tank SAO” Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Speeding up reactions with hydrophobic organic molecules: “Water droplet on a 5 grains of hydrophobic sand” Aidar.Seralin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Measuring electrode interfaces over time: “Scanning probe microscope ( )” Oak Ridge National Laboratory / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Modeling electrode interfaces in ultrahigh vacuum: “ELECTRON BEAM STRIKING BEAM COLLECTOR IN UHV SYSTEM IN THE 8X6 FOOT WIND TUNNEL SHOP - NARA - 17444403” Martin Brown / Public domain (cropped)
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