Hishida Lab

AboutAbout the lab

Focusing on water to explore how self-assembly works

The Hishida Lab studies, from a physical chemistry perspective, the mechanisms by which surfactants, lipids, polymers, and proteins form various aggregate structures in water.
These self-assembled structures are closely tied to the physical properties and functions of materials, and the lab pays particular attention to how water is involved.
A distinctive feature is the use of a wide range of methods, including structural analysis with X-rays and neutrons, calorimetry, various types of spectroscopy, microscopy, and surface tension measurement.
On its website, the lab is described as one that spans fields such as physical chemistry, colloid science, solution chemistry, soft matter physics, and biophysics.

ResearchResearch themes

The lab aims to understand, from a physical chemistry perspective, the mechanisms by which surfactants, lipids, polymers, and proteins form self-assembled structures in water. These structures are involved across a wide range, from those that serve as the basic structure of biological membranes, such as phospholipid bilayers, to those that affect the properties of cosmetics, paints, and foods.

*Illustrative image

Principles of Electrostatic Interactions between Colloids↗

In a 2017 paper, the lab found that experimental results on the distance between membranes of anionic phospholipids did not agree with the predictions of DLVO theory. By taking into account an uneven distribution of ions, the lab explains the results as the sum of a repulsive force and osmotic pressure.

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.