Hard Flexible Materials (Hasegawa Lab)

AboutAbout the lab

Engineering pores to fit the purpose.

The Porous Materials Chemistry Lab studies the fabrication of porous ceramic materials and the control of their fine structure, contributing to the fields of separation, adsorption, catalysis, and energy.
Even among porous materials, the size and shape of the pores and the proportion of empty space vary widely.
The lab engineers pore characteristics to suit the intended application and works on developing new materials with excellent functions.
It also evaluates the basic physical properties of the materials it makes and works to connect them to applied research.

ResearchResearch themes

The lab focuses on fabricating porous ceramic materials and controlling their fine structure, contributing to the fields of separation, adsorption, catalysis, and energy. It aims to establish techniques for making hierarchical porous structures with uniform pore sizes at multiple different scales, such as nanometers and micrometers.

*Illustrative image

Pore control of porous monoliths using phase separation↗

An additive is added to a polymerizing system to induce spinodal decomposition, and the intermediate structure is fixed in the gel through the sol-gel transition to make porous monolithic materials. The method works for organic polymers as well as inorganic materials such as silica.

*Illustrative image

Thermal insulation properties of aerogels↗

Aerogels with a porosity above 90% generally have low thermal conductivity and are expected to be used as insulation materials. Challenges such as high production cost and low mechanical strength remain, and the lab works toward practical use through industry-academia collaboration.

*Illustrative image

Ionics at the interface between solid electrolytes and electrodes↗

All-solid-state secondary batteries, which replace the organic liquid electrolyte with a nonflammable solid electrolyte, are expected to offer high safety. To gain fundamental knowledge of the charge transfer reactions at the interface between the solid electrolyte and the electrode, the lab carries out research that involves carefully engineering the materials.

VoicesStudent voices

Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.

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