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Matsushita Lab
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A lab studying semiconductor-sensitized thermal cells, which generate electricity from heat that would otherwise be thrown away.
AboutAbout the lab
Turning discarded waste heat into electricity.
Matsushita Lab studies the semiconductor-sensitized thermal cell (STC), which converts heat into electricity.
Japan discards two-thirds of its imported primary energy as waste heat.
The lab aims for a power generation mechanism that works even under roofs and inside walls, produces no radioactive waste, and is unaffected by the weather.
To help solve energy problems and create jobs, the lab approaches the work from both academic and industrial angles.
Key terms
- Waste heat
- Heat that is discarded without being used. It comes from factories, machines, and daily life
- Thermal excitation
- When electrons in a semiconductor receive thermal energy and become able to move
- Dye-sensitized solar cell
- A solar cell in which a dye absorbs light and releases electrons, and electricity is extracted through redox reactions of ions
NewsLab news
A doctoral student won a Poster Award at the international conference ICPPM2025
A master's student's paper was published in the journal ACS Electrochemistry
A master's student's paper was published in Energy Convers. Manage.
A paper from the lab was published in the journal Sensors and Materials
ResearchResearch themes
Japan discards two-thirds of its imported primary energy as waste heat. Matsushita Lab works on the science of generating electric power from this waste heat, and its core technology is the semiconductor-sensitized thermal cell (STC).
*Illustrative imageA cell that generates power from heat
The STC replaces the photoexcitation of a dye-sensitized solar cell with thermal excitation. If heat can be converted directly into electricity, it becomes possible to build a power plant unaffected by weather, with cells buried underground generating power from geothermal heat.
*Illustrative imageMoving ions with heat
The first thing to confirm was whether thermally excited charges can drive redox reactions of ions. Using β-FeSi2 and a copper ion conductor, the lab confirmed long-term power generation at 600°C.
*Illustrative imageRecharging with heat
Using a polymer electrolyte, the lab confirmed for the first time when power generation comes to an end. It also found that exploiting the spreading of ions within the electrolyte under heat restores the cell's ability to generate power.
*Illustrative imageVoltage and the Fermi level
By varying the doping concentration of n-Si in the electron transport layer, the lab showed that the Fermi level of the working electrode affects the open-circuit voltage. In principle, the open-circuit voltage is smaller under thermal excitation than under photoexcitation.
MembersFaculty
Matsushita Lab's members include faculty, administrative assistants, staff from collaborating companies, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorSachiko MatsushitaPublications ↗
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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: “Krafla geothermal power plant” Hansueli Krapf / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- A cell that generates power from heat: “Dye.sensitized.solar.cells” Ronald vera saavedra colombia (bogota)ISE / Public domain (cropped)
- Moving ions with heat: “Horno tubular” Manuel Almagro Rivas / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Recharging with heat: “Lithium-polymer battery ( )” Daniel van den Ouden / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Voltage and the Fermi level: “Silicon2” W. Oelen / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (片瀬研究室): “Wire for ITER superconducting magnets ( )” Oak Ridge National Laboratory / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (安井研究室): “Ceramic fracture” Mtbusca / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (松本研究室): “PolyurethaneNanofibers” Wikicristof / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (神谷研究室): “Flexible display” U.S. Army RDECOM / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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