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Satoh Lab
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A lab that creates unprecedented polymerization reactions to produce polymers with precisely controlled structures.
AboutAbout the lab
Designing polymers through new polymerization reactions.
The Satoh Lab studies polymer synthesis, focusing on the development of new, unprecedented polymerization systems.
Polymerization is a reaction that links small molecules together to make a polymer.
In particular, the lab develops "precision polymerization," which produces polymers with well-controlled structures, using new approaches in organic reaction chemistry.
It aims to extend these methods to plant-derived monomers and create highly functional, environmentally friendly polymer materials.
Key terms
- Polymerization
- A chemical reaction that links small molecules (monomers) together to form long-chain polymers
- Precision polymerization
- Polymerization that suppresses side reactions and gives polymers with the intended structure and molecular weight
- Living polymerization
- A precisely controlled chain-growth polymerization in which side reactions such as chain transfer and termination do not occur, so the chains keep growing
NewsLab news
A master's student won the Excellent Poster Award at the Polymer Joint Research Meeting
A master's student won the Silver Poster Award at the IUPAC World Polymer Congress
Assistant Professor Tomohiro Kubo won the Encouragement Award from the Adhesion Society of Japan
A PhD student won the Excellent Presentation Award at the Young Researchers' Exchange Symposium of the Adhesion Society of Japan
A master's student won the Poster Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Adhesion Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
The lab's research centers on precision polymerization, which allows control over the structure and molecular weight of the resulting polymer, as in living polymerization, a chain-growth polymerization free of side reactions. Building on these fundamental principles, it aims to develop new polymerization reactions ahead of the rest of the world through new approaches in organic reactions.
*Illustrative imageDevelopment of New Precision Polymerization Systems
Going beyond the frameworks of active species such as radicals, cations, and anions, and of reaction mechanisms such as chain-growth and step-growth polymerization, the lab develops unknown reactions that combine various polymerization methods. This is expected to yield polymer materials that could not be made before.
*Illustrative imagePrecision Polymerization of Plant-Derived Monomers
Making good use of renewable, plant-derived resources is becoming increasingly important for building a sustainable society. The lab aims to convert various plant-derived substances by chemical reactions into monomers that can be polymerized, and to create environmentally friendly polymer materials using knowledge from precision polymerization.
*Illustrative imagePrecision Design of Polymer Chain Scission
Cases have been reported in which the degradation of polymer materials during or after use causes serious problems. The lab designs units whose chemical degradation can be controlled and builds them into polymer chains, seeking design guidelines for new polymer materials that degrade exactly as intended.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Satoh Lab consist of faculty, corporate researchers, foreign research fellows, PhD, master's, and undergraduate students, and administrative support staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorKotaro SatohPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorTomohiro KuboPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
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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: “Nailoni süntees 1” Thctamm / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Development of New Precision Polymerization Systems: “Condenser-droplets” Vulpes-bengalensis / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Precision Polymerization of Plant-Derived Monomers: “Maisstärke Duroplast” Achim Raschka / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Precision Design of Polymer Chain Scission: “BiodegradablePlasticUtensils1” Scott Bauer / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (石曽根研究室): “Fume hood MB” Miha Bukleski / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (林研究室): “A Problem with Polymer Theory” OLCF / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (冨田・
一二三研究室): “Ferrocene sublimation- Final product” Kate7234 / CC0 (cropped) - Related lab (中薗研究室): “B-cyclodextrin” Materialscientist / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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