Labs in Kyushu University, Institute for Sustainable Hydrogen Research

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A lab that improves water management and power generation performance in fuel cells through research on the gas diffusion layer.

The Fuel Cell System Lab, based on mechanical engineering, advances research and development of fuel cells (PEFC, SOFC) and water electrolyzers. Fuel cells and water electrolyzers are expected to be at the core of a next-generation sustainable energy society because they are highly efficient regardless of scale, quiet, and highly reliable. Associate Professor Tatsumi Kitahara's team studies the design of gas diffusion layers coated with a microporous layer, in order to improve the power generation performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. On the lab's website, the research of each faculty member's team is introduced under the name 'Fuel Cell System Lab.'

#Gas diffusion layers #Microporous layers #Water management

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A lab that researches visualization technology to make the inside of fuel cells visible.

Associate Professor Yuya Tachikawa, at the Hydrogen Utilization Process Lab, develops technology that visualizes the phenomena occurring inside fuel cells. The lab aims to realize an environmentally friendly hydrogen energy society centered on fuel cells. Temperature changes, chemical reactions, and thermal stress distributions that cannot normally be observed are evaluated using numerical analysis and experimental visualization methods. The lab also develops system analysis methods for evaluating fuel cell systems at the macro level.

#Visualization #Fuel cells #Numerical analysis

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〈白金合金触媒〉 (introduction coming soon)

Development of highly active, highly durable platinum alloy catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (carbon–metal oxide composite support materials)

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A lab that studies the structural design of water electrolysis cells and electrode degradation in solid oxide cells.

The research of Assistant Professor Masahiro Yasutake focuses on fuel cell and water electrolysis technologies, which handle energy conversion between renewable energy and hydrogen. For polymer electrolyte water electrolysis cells, the lab works on structural design that achieves high efficiency and high durability at the same time while reducing the use of precious metals. For solid oxide cells, which operate at high temperatures, the lab evaluates the relationship between electrode degradation and the acidity and basicity of the electrode surface in an international collaboration. The lab's website is that of the Hydrogen Utilization Process Lab, led by Chief Professor Kazunari Sasaki.

#Water electrolysis #Fuel cells #Gas diffusion layers

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A lab that develops fusion and hydrogen energy from the perspective of chemical engineering.

The Katayama-Edao Lab researches the development of next-generation energy systems from the perspective of chemical engineering. It focuses on system development for fusion reactors, which are expected to be a future energy source, and on research into hydrogen energy systems. Using chemical engineering concepts that deal with mass transfer and reactions, the lab investigates the behavior of tritium, the fuel for fusion reactors. On the lab's website, it is introduced under the name "Katayama-Edao Lab."

#Tritium #Fusion engineering #Mass transfer engineering

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The lab designs what a sustainable decarbonized society should look like.

Prof. Hayabuchi's lab studies how to design a sustainable decarbonized society. Research keywords include greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, mitigation and adaptation measures, and renewable energy. The research fields are environmental policy and an environmentally conscious society.

#Decarbonized society #Greenhouse gas emissions #Climate change

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The lab investigates the mechanisms by which rubber and resin materials break down under high-pressure hydrogen.

Prof. Nishimura's lab studies rubber and resin materials exposed to high-pressure hydrogen. In the hydrogen equipment that makes up a hydrogen energy society, rubber and resin materials are used to seal hydrogen gas. There is concern that hydrogen sealing materials such as O-rings may break down when exposed to high-pressure hydrogen gas, or when hydrogen gas is repeatedly pressurized and depressurized. The lab is working to elucidate the phenomenon in which rubber and resin materials placed in high-pressure hydrogen are broken down by the hydrogen gas.

#High-pressure hydrogen #Rubber and resin materials #Fracture phenomena

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The lab uses statistical data to interpret trends in the environment and energy.

Prof. Kagawa conducts empirical research on policies for the environment, energy, and resource management. The aim is to interpret real-world economic and environmental trends from socioeconomic statistics and environmental statistics. Prof. Kagawa hopes to provide information that helps people understand the world and contributes to solving problems.

#International trade #Sustainable consumption #Circular socioeconomic systems

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A thermophysics lab that investigates how heat is transferred, using materials and droplets.

The Thermophysical Engineering Lab studies the development of thermoelectric materials, the measurement of thermophysical properties, and phase-change heat transfer in microscopic droplets. Thermoelectric materials can generate electrical energy directly from temperature differences within the material, and they are expected to be applied to waste heat recovery. The lab aims to develop excellent thermoelectric conversion materials by applying high-pressure torsion (HPT) processing to silicon to control how heat and electrons flow.

#Thermoelectric materials #Thermophysical property measurement #High-pressure strain processing

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A lab that uses data to explore how companies' environmental efforts and the economy can go hand in hand.

The Fujii Lab focuses on companies' environmental conservation efforts and trends in the environmental business, and studies the policies and institutions needed to reconcile reducing environmental burden with economic development. The lab uses data to analyze how companies' ESG initiatives affect corporate value and valuation in capital markets, and how environmental regulation affects firms' technological innovation. In the undergraduate lab seminar, students examine topics related to sustainable finance from an economic perspective by analyzing companies' financial and non-financial information. In the graduate program, the lab expects students to hold, as their research question, why environmental problems arise and what institutions and policies would make people's behavior environmentally friendly.

#Environmental innovation #ESG investment #Balancing environment and economy