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Coordination Chemistry Lab
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The lab uses metal complexes to lay the foundation for artificial photosynthesis.
AboutAbout the lab
Building the foundation of artificial photosynthesis with metal complexes.
The Coordination Chemistry Lab focuses on metal complexes and works to lay the foundation for realizing artificial photosynthesis.
Reactions that use solar energy to produce storable clean fuels such as hydrogen and alcohols are called artificial photosynthesis.
Metal complexes play a central role in biological functions, and this lab looks to them for its research.
On the lab's website, it is introduced under the name "Masaoka Lab."
Key terms
- Artificial photosynthesis
- A reaction that uses solar energy to produce storable clean fuels such as hydrogen and alcohols
- Metal complex
- A composite in which a metal ion and an organic ligand are bound together. Its structure and function can be controlled at the molecular level
- Ligand
- An organic molecule that binds to a metal ion to form a complex. It can be freely designed
NewsLab news
A master's student won the Outstanding Poster Presentation Award at a study meeting of the Kinki Branch of the Young Researchers' Group of Coordination Chemistry
A master's student won the Chemistry Letters Young Researcher Award
Prof. Masaoka won an academic award from the Chemical Society of Japan
A master's student won the Coordinator Award at the FrontierLab Final Presentation Meeting
A master's student won a poster award at the 58th Symposium on Oxidation Reactions
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to realize "artificial photosynthesis," which uses solar energy to produce storable clean fuels such as hydrogen and alcohols. It uses metal complexes as mediators of light, protons, and electrons, with the goal of freely activating small molecules such as water with light.
*Illustrative imageBuilding the Foundation of Artificial Photosynthesis
The lab aims to build reaction systems for artificial photosynthesis, which uses solar energy to produce chemical energy. It uses metal complexes as mediators of light, protons, and electrons to activate small molecules such as water with light.
*Illustrative imageWhy Use Metal Complexes as Catalysts
A metal complex is a composite of a metal ion, which can have many different properties, and an organic ligand, which can be freely designed. Its structure and function can be controlled at the molecular level, and living organisms also use metal complexes as the active centers of many enzymes.
*Illustrative imageDesigning Catalysts with New Concepts
Plants carry out photosynthesis with ease, yet humankind has not yet put artificial photosynthesis to practical use. The lab introduces new concepts that have not been explored before, aiming to propose designs for new catalysts that the world has not yet recognized.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Coordination Chemistry Lab consist of faculty, visiting professors, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, technical assistants, and secretaries.As of 2026
- ProfessorShigeyuki Masaoka
- Assistant ProfessorYutaka Saga
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: “U.S. Department of Energy - Science - )” U.S. Department of Energy from United States / Public domain (cropped)
- Building the Foundation of Artificial Photosynthesis: “Anatase (titania, TiO2) photocatalyst producing hydrogen” University College London Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Why Use Metal Complexes as Catalysts: “Photoluminescent rhodium coordination complex crystals under UV light” RhAgchem / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Designing Catalysts with New Concepts: “Natural Photosynthesis vs the Bionic Leaf” Sickesair / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Nano Surface and Interface Engineering Lab): “Scanning tunneling microscope-MHS 2237-IMG 3817-white” Rama / CC BY-SA 3.0 fr (cropped)
- Related lab (Bioresource Engineering Lab): “Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) Tube - DPLA - 2a22bbd17e faf628d93a557 (page 2)” Honig, Richard E. (Richard Edward) / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Extreme Measurement and Nanoscience Lab): “Surface plexiglas sable AFM 3D” Léonito 2003 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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