LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Functional Supramolecular Chemistry Lab
Machine-translated · View original
A supramolecular chemistry lab that draws out the functions of crystals by using molecules as building blocks.
AboutAbout the lab
Controlling how molecules assemble to create functions
The Functional Supramolecular Chemistry Lab studies the assembly of molecules in crystals and other solids from the perspectives of supramolecular chemistry, crystal engineering, organic chemistry, and materials science.
Using the tendency of molecules to gather spontaneously (self-assembly and self-organization) and their ability to recognize partners when they gather, it seeks to control the arrangement of molecules within crystals.
Chemistry that uses these two properties was once likened to “building-block chemistry.” Today it is known as “supramolecular chemistry” and is applied to the development of new functional materials and devices.
On the lab's website, it is introduced under the name “Tohnai Lab.”
Key terms
- Supramolecular chemistry
- Chemistry that uses the tendency of molecules to assemble spontaneously and their ability to recognize partners
- Non-covalent bond
- A general term for the forces that link molecules together, such as hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, and van der Waals forces
- Organic salt
- A substance made of an organic acid and a base; it can be made simply by mixing the two components through an acid–base reaction
NewsLab news
A master's student won the GSC Poster Award at the 15th JACI/GSC Symposium
A doctoral student won a Poster Award at Pacifichem 2025
A master's student won an Outstanding Poster Award at the 33rd Symposium on Organic Crystals
A master's student won a Poster Award at TJBW2023
ResearchResearch themes
The Functional Supramolecular Chemistry Lab seeks to control the arrangement of molecules in crystals by using the tendency of molecules to assemble spontaneously and to recognize their partners when they do. Using organic salts made of organic acids and bases as the foundation of its materials, it studies materials with optical and electrical properties as well as porous materials with internal space.
*Illustrative imageControlling functions with molecular building blocks
This chemistry treats molecules as building blocks, stacking them into various structures through non-covalent bonds such as hydrogen bonds in order to control function and physical properties. Using self-assembly, which skillfully harnesses non-covalent bonds, the lab develops functional materials through organic crystal engineering.
*Illustrative imageFunctional materials from organic salts
Using organic salts, the lab creates space within crystals and controls molecular motion with external stimuli, aiming to produce new functions that depend on how the molecules are assembled. The work rests on the idea that the properties of organic solids depend greatly not only on molecular structure but also on how the molecules assemble.
*Illustrative imageControlling light and electricity through molecular arrangement
In organic salts of anthracenedisulfonic acid and amines, the lab changes only the arrangement of the molecules without altering the structure of the light-emitting part, thereby varying luminescence efficiency, emission wavelength, and electrical conductivity. The same approach is being extended to compounds with a thiophene skeleton.
*Illustrative imageDesigning porous organic salts
The lab builds bulky supramolecular clusters from sulfonic acids and triphenylmethylamine, and assembles them as basic units into porous structures with internal space. Changing the sulfonic acid used alters the size, shape, and stability of the space, as well as the photoelectric properties and the adsorption properties for substances.
MembersFaculty
The Functional Supramolecular Chemistry Lab consists of faculty members, administrative assistants, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorNorimitsu Tohnai
- LecturerEiichi Mizohata
- Assistant ProfessorShotaro Nakamura
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.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Functional Supramolecular Chemistry Lab
Physical Organic Chemistry LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Applied Natural SciencesOrganic synthesis-based functional molecules and nanostructu…
Molecular Correlation Chemistry LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Applied Natural SciencesDevelopment of high-performance materials that are friendly …
Molecular Catalytic Chemistry LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Applied Natural SciencesDevelopment of new reactions using molecular catalysts (meta…![Image of research at Molecular Microbiology Lab [International Center for Biotechnology]](/img/fcf5247615fdc974-800.webp)
Molecular Microbiology Lab [International Center for Biotechnology]Faculty of Engineering, Department of Applied Natural SciencesExtremophile microbes growing in extreme environments (high …The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “Brianite crystal structure (Alkemper-Fuess 1998) polyhedra model along c axis” Ra'ike (Wikipedia) / CC0 (cropped)
- Controlling functions with molecular building blocks: “Diphenylsilanediol-H-bonded-column-3D-balls-A” Ben Mills / Public domain (cropped)
- Functional materials from organic salts: “Na8Si46 inorganic clathrate structure with coordination polyhedra” PickledSquid / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Controlling light and electricity through molecular arrangement: “Fluorescence of Anthracene under UV light” TimJW12 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Designing porous organic salts: “Porous-crystals” Oyar0ukr0net / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Physical Organic Chemistry Lab): “Sumanene-3D-balls” Jynto (talk) / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Correlation Chemistry Lab): “Supramolecular Assembly Lehn” M stone at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Catalytic Chemistry Lab): “Vintage laboratory glassware, Chemical Faculty, Gdansk University of Technology, Poland” LukaszKatlewa / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Microbiology Lab [International Center for Biotechnology]): “Hot spring in Yellowstone” Jon Sullivan / Public domain (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.