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Energy Photochemical Engineering Lab
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A lab working on artificial photosynthesis using photocatalysts and on molecular sensors.
AboutAbout the lab
Selectively making substances with the energy of light
The Energy Photochemical Engineering Lab develops artificial photosynthesis technology using photocatalysts, and designs, synthesizes, and applies luminescent and colorimetric molecular sensors.
The lab takes part in research and education as a cooperating chair of the Chemical Engineering Area in the Department of Materials Engineering Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, and of the Chemical Engineering Course in the Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Engineering Science.
Assistant Professor Takeshi Sugahara also studies the properties of gas hydrates, typified by methane hydrate, and of organic clathrate compounds, aiming at their use in gas separation, energy material storage, heat storage materials, and as reaction media.
The lab's website introduces it under the name "Environmental Photoengineering Group (Hirai Lab)."
Key terms
- Photocatalyst
- A catalyst that drives a chemical reaction when exposed to light
- Artificial photosynthesis
- A reaction that uses the energy of sunlight to make useful substances from raw materials such as water
- Gas hydrate
- An ice-like substance in which gas molecules are held inside cage-like structures formed by water molecules. Methane hydrate is a typical example
NewsLab news
Paper on surface modification of carbon nitride powder selected for the front cover of Chem. Commun.
Paper on hydrogen peroxide production with COF photocatalysts published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Paper on hydrogen production from aqueous ammonia published in ACS Catalysis; Osaka University issued a press release
Paper on a polymer photocatalyst that becomes a semiconductor when it solidifies published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.; Osaka University issued a press release
Paper on the electrical conduction properties of hydrates selected as a featured paper by Advances in Engineering
ResearchResearch themes
The lab develops artificial photosynthesis technology using photocatalysts, and designs, synthesizes, and applies luminescent and colorimetric molecular sensors. It is also developing materials based on light-responsive metal nanoparticles and polymers.
*Illustrative imageLight-Driven Selective Organic Transformations
The lab develops catalytic technology that uses light energy to selectively synthesize useful substances. Its methods include incorporating photocatalytic active sites inside porous materials such as zeolites, and loading metal nanoparticles onto semiconductor surfaces.
*Illustrative imageArtificial Photosynthesis for Hydrogen Peroxide
The lab developed an organic semiconductor photocatalyst made of carbon and nitrogen, and discovered a reaction that synthesizes hydrogen peroxide from water and oxygen under sunlight. It is now aiming for a process that synthesizes it with an efficiency exceeding that of hydrogen production by water splitting.
*Illustrative imageArtificial Photosynthesis for Ammonia
The lab is developing photocatalysts that synthesize ammonia from water and nitrogen under sunlight. It found that "defects" on semiconductor surfaces act as sites that reduce nitrogen molecules effectively, and has achieved synthesis at the highest efficiency reported to date.
*Illustrative imageLight-Responsive Metal Nanoparticle and Polymer Materials
The lab develops light-responsive materials based on metal nanoparticles and polymers. It works on reaction systems in which light shone on a junction of gold nanoparticles and a semiconductor separates charges to drive photocatalytic reactions, and on methods for synthesizing monodisperse metal nanoparticles.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Energy Photochemical Engineering Lab are Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakayuki Hirai
- Associate ProfessorYasuhiro Shiraishi
- Assistant ProfessorTakeshi Sugahara
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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)
- Light-Driven Selective Organic Transformations: “ZeolitesUSGOV” U.S. Geological Survey / Public domain (cropped)
- Artificial Photosynthesis for Hydrogen Peroxide: “Hydrogen Peroxide Tank Car” Niklaus Yager / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Artificial Photosynthesis for Ammonia: “Nitrogen Nodes or Nodules On Clover” Bondigoldwiki / CC0 (cropped)
- Light-Responsive Metal Nanoparticle and Polymer Materials: “Gold nanoparticles as indicators” Valeg96 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Surface and Interface Functional Chemistry Lab): “Electrode 2 (PSF)” Pearson Scott Foresman / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Photoenergy and Environmental Chemistry Lab): “Solar energy” Apteva / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Synthetic Organic Chemistry Lab): “La fulminaterie” Patrimoinesurvillois / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Organic Materials Chemistry Lab): “Laboratory Glasswares” Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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