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Polymer Properties and Functions Lab
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A lab that measures the softness of gels and rubber to bring out new functions.
AboutAbout the lab
Creating the properties and functions of soft matter.
The Polymer Properties and Functions Lab studies the physical properties of polymer soft matter such as gels and elastomers (rubber), and creates new functions.
Soft matter is very soft and can stretch and shrink greatly, behaving quite differently from metals and glass.
Although they are solids that hold their own shape, they are characterized by a versatile nature: they combine entropic elasticity, which shares its origin with gas pressure, and the viscosity of liquids.
They are used in soft tissues of the human body, contact lenses, tires, food, and cosmetics, yet many of their phenomena remain unexplained, leaving a wide unexplored area.
Key terms
- Soft matter
- A collective name for substances that are soft and can deform greatly, such as gels, rubber, and liquid crystals
- Rheology
- The study of how a material deforms and flows when a force is applied to it
- Liquid crystal elastomer
- A rubber with the properties of a liquid crystal. When the orientation of its molecules changes, its overall shape changes too
NewsLab news
A master's student won the Iris Award at the 2026 Japanese Liquid Crystal Society Symposium
A collaborative study that developed a porous liquid whose viscosity changes by more than 100 million times was published in a journal of the American Chemical Society
A master's student won an Excellent Poster Award at the 72nd Polymer Research Presentation Meeting (Kansai)
Prof. Urayama received the Society Award, and a master's student received the Best Presentation Award, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Rheology, Japan
ResearchResearch themes
The lab measures and analyzes the physical properties and functionality of various polymer soft matter using original methods. The goal is to explore the underlying science that leads to higher performance and the creation of new functions.
*Illustrative imagePrecisely measuring the mechanics of soft materials
The lab has developed a device that applies strain in two directions and measures the tension in each direction. It also studies the mechanism by which natural rubber partially crystallizes when stretched and reinforces itself.
*Illustrative imageLiquid crystal elastomers that change shape in response to stimuli
Liquid crystal elastomers are rubbers that deform as a whole by following changes in the orientation of their liquid crystal molecules, allowing large deformation under small forces. The lab studies thermal deformations such as stretching, bending, and twisting caused by temperature changes, as well as their unusual mechanical properties and optical responses.
*Illustrative imageRheology of fluids packed with gel microparticles
Gel microparticles that contain a lot of solvent can both deform and change in volume, so they pack at ultra-high density in a dispersion. The dispersion shows a dual behavior: it does not flow under forces below a certain level, and flows above it. This makes it a functional liquid whose properties change with temperature and pH.
*Illustrative imageStudying the softness of natural polymers
Focusing on polysaccharides such as cellulose, amylose, and chitin, the lab studies the mechanical properties of films, the deformation behavior of gels, and the rheological properties of solutions. It combines rheological measurements with optical methods such as polarization modulation spectroscopy.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Polymer Properties and Functions Lab consist of faculty, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and administrative assistants.
- ProfessorKenji Urayama
- Associate ProfessorJunichi Horinaka
- Assistant ProfessorKakeru Obayashi
- Program-Specific Assistant ProfessorMAI Thanh Tam
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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: “Natural latex collected” Vis M / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Precisely measuring the mechanics of soft materials: “Rheometer” Olivier Cleynen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Liquid crystal elastomers that change shape in response to stimuli: “Wikipedia pic LCE” Devinjroach / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Rheology of fluids packed with gel microparticles: “SEM Image of Colloidal Particles” Yasrena / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Studying the softness of natural polymers: “Paper. Magnification power 2000x. 02” Nobody16w / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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