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Biomaterials Chemistry Lab
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A lab that studies the chemistry of biomaterials, looking at wood cellulose and lignin from the molecular level.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring what only biomaterials can do.
The Biomaterials Chemistry Lab studies the chemistry of materials made by living organisms, such as wood components and chitin and chitosan.
Moving between the material, fiber, nano, and molecular levels, the lab investigates cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
Its work ranges from fundamental research on complex structures to research that leads to new functional materials and to solutions for the problems of existing materials.
Key terms
- Cellulose
- The main component of plant cell walls. A substance in which glucose units are linked in long chains.
- Lignin
- A polymer with a complex structure that binds cells together in wood.
- Chirality
- The property of an object that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image, like the right and left hands.
NewsLab news
Assistant Professor Xie received the International Exchange Encouragement Award from the Japan Wood Research Society
Professor Takano received the Society Award at the Lignin Symposium
Associate Professor Teramoto received the Best Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Preserving Association
A master's student received the Best Poster Award at the Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Preserving Association
ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts broad research, from basic to applied, on the chemical components of wood in general. It works with cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, chitin and chitosan, extractives, and wood itself.
*Illustrative imageDissolving pine resin components in water
Abietic acid, the main component of rosin obtained from pine resin, is poorly soluble in water. The lab found that when it is made into a film together with cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and placed in water, it forms a nanodispersion and dissolves in water.
*Illustrative imageThe mystery of cellulose chirality
Natural cellulose consists only of the D-form. In 2020, the lab became the first in the world to succeed in the chemical synthesis of L-cellulose, and it now studies its synthesis and properties to find out why only the D-form exists in nature.
*Illustrative imageLearning lignin degradation from mushrooms
In nature, mushrooms degrade lignin under mild conditions at room temperature and normal pressure. The lab is developing an environmentally friendly lignin degradation reaction using an electrolytic reaction that mimics the reaction of these enzymes.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping chemical reactions of chitosan
Chitosan is a cellulose-like substance obtained by deacetylating chitin, the main component of shrimp and crab shells. The lab has developed a simple method to synthesize chitosan derivatives, and uses it to make thin films with various functions.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Biomaterials Chemistry Lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, research students, and visiting researchers.As of 2026
- ProfessorToshiyuki Takano
- Associate ProfessorYoshikuni Teramoto
- Assistant ProfessorBing Xie
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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: “Pine log cross-sections, Teutendorf” Radomianin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Dissolving pine resin components in water: “Drop of Pine resin” Stijndg / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- The mystery of cellulose chirality: “D-L- Glucose farbig V1” Vectorization: Alhadis / Public domain (cropped)
- Learning lignin degradation from mushrooms: “Pycnoporus sanguineus - ESEC Itaberá - Isabela Batistella(001)” Isabela Batistella / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Developing chemical reactions of chitosan: “Chitosan Thin Film” D.S. Soriano / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (生物繊維学): “Cellulose polymer” Vicente Neto / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (複合材料化学): “Cellulose structure” Vicente Neto / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (生物材料設計学): “Beilstein - Schmidhausen - Hebelstraße - Holzzaun - Augen (1)” Roman Eisele / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (エネルギーエコシステム学): “Wood chips from encroacher bush ready for industrial use” GIZ Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation Project / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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