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Physical Organic Chemistry Lab
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Students design, with their own hands, molecules that humanity has never had before.
AboutAbout the lab
From physical organic chemistry to functional materials.
The Physical Organic Chemistry Lab (Matsuda Lab) develops new organic functional materials that combine optical, magnetic, and electrical functions.
The functions of organic molecules can be engineered through molecular design, and they are expected to play a major role in molecular electronics.
The lab conducts broad research, from design and synthesis to measurement of physical properties.
Its appeal lies in designing and creating new organic compounds yourself, and in carrying out agile research in a small group.
Key terms
- Photochromic molecule
- A molecule whose color, shape, and electronic state switch when exposed to light, and which can be returned to its original state
- Supramolecular assembly
- An organized structure formed when many molecules gather spontaneously through weak forces
- Radical
- A molecule with an unpaired electron, which is the origin of magnetic properties
NewsLab news
Announced the synthesis of a high-spin organic compound that overturns conventional wisdom in molecular design
Announced research that improved the photostability of organic semiconductors by "bending" molecules
A master's student won the Best Poster Award at the 1st Next-Generation Molecular Spin Study Group
ResearchResearch themes
Under the banner "From Physical Organic Chemistry To Functional Materials," the lab builds on operating principles rooted in physical organic chemistry, makes molecules through organic synthesis, and develops organic functional materials that combine optical, magnetic, and electrical functions. Its research is broad, spanning design through measurement of physical properties.
*Illustrative imageBuilding Circuits from Photoswitching Molecules
Photochromic molecules switch not only color but also shape and electronic state when exposed to light. The lab extends these photoswitching molecules to molecular electronics, where each individual molecule serves as a circuit component, aiming to lay the foundations for molecular computers.
*Illustrative imageMolecular Assemblies That Respond to Light and Heat
Molecules with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts gather in polar solvents to form supramolecular assemblies. The lab studies how these assemblies respond to light and heat, leading to functional materials from a new angle.
*Illustrative imageArranging Molecules on Surfaces
The lab uses scanning probe microscopy to study two-dimensional crystals formed by molecules arranged on substrates such as graphite. Because this technique can distinguish individual molecules, the lab uses it to develop new functional materials.
*Illustrative imageMolecular Magnetism Switched by Light
The lab found that when radicals are attached to both ends of a diarylethene, the magnetic interaction is weak when the ring is opened by light and becomes strong when the ring is closed. Starting from this finding, the lab synthesizes molecules that work as various kinds of switches.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Physical Organic Chemistry Lab consist of faculty, doctoral students, master's students, and fourth-year undergraduates.As of 2026
- ProfessorKenji Matsuda
- LecturerKenji Higashiguchi
- Assistant ProfessorDaiki Shimizu
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “STM-image of n-alkane C46H94 monolayer with moire pattern” Anton Senenko / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Building Circuits from Photoswitching Molecules: “Photochromic switches” Girn Kaur / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Molecular Assemblies That Respond to Light and Heat: “Supramolecular Assembly Lehn” M stone at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Arranging Molecules on Surfaces: “Cens nanomanipulation3d Trixler” Frank Trixler, LMU/CeNS: Organic Semiconductor Nanostructures / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Molecular Magnetism Switched by Light: “Antracene diradical AFM2” IBM / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Materials Analytical Chemistry Lab): “Moseley Hall Chemistry Lab” Mbrickn / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Reaction Engineering Lab): “Toyota Mirai fuel cell stack and hydrogen tank SAO” Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Inorganic Structural Chemistry Lab): “Laser glass sculpture caffeine molecule” E. Goodman / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Functional Solid State Chemistry Lab): “U.S. Department of Energy - Science - )” U.S. Department of Energy from United States / Public domain (cropped)
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