1. Organic light-emitting materials for OLEDs or dyes for OPVs are developed.

2. Novel antiaromatic compounds such as Sondheimer-Wong diynes and diarenopentalenes are developed as new types of organic materials.

3. Organic syntheses using organotin cluster as catalysts are developed.

Numerical and experimental studies on transport phenomena, e.g. chemical reaction in beaker, indoor environment with air conditioner, natural environment, fluid flow and heat transfer in industrial equipment
■ patent number: 4931065
title of the invention: collision micro mixer
objective: increasing the chemical reaction efficiency by the collision of water and organic phases in the micro-channel
■ patent number 5504526
title of the invention: formation of slug flow with micro-reactor
objective: increasing the chemical reaction efficiency with the vortices generated by continuously changing the shapes of water and organic phases inside the micro-channel with zigzag walｌ

Powder and colloid are important for manufacturing processes. We study on fundamentals and applications of powder and colloid to contribute to the manufacturing processes as engineers. For example, we developed dry separator using gas-solid fluidized beds for waste treatment and mineral processing.

Metal nanoparticles show unique properties that are different from those of bulk metals. These properties are dependent on their shapes and sizes. We prepare nanoparticles with various shapes and ones with narrow size distributions. Fluorescence intensities are enhanced at the acuate front ends of nanoparticles and/or at the gaps between nanoparticles. The protective agents of nanoparticles, such as ligands, polymers and surfactants, are exchanged for fluorophores easily to adsorb the surfaces of nanoparticles.
The photoinduced reactions on the micellar and vesicular systems and the properties of the micellar and vesicular systems are studied.

Production of L/D-Lactic acid from glycerol,a by-pruduct of bio-diesel fuel, with a lactic acid bacteria isolated from seaweed, wakame.

The characteristic reddish color pattern called hidasuki appears where the rice straw is in direct contact with the clay because the rice straw supplies potassium that reduces the melting point of the ceramic surface and thereby converts the contact area into a site for the interesting reactions to take place. The sticklike mullite (3(Al,Fe)₂O₃・2SiO₂) particles, the major phase formed in the absence of rice straw, was replaced by corundum (α-Al₂O₃), hematite (α-Fe₂O₃), and others in the surface region of about 50 μm-thick. The corundum precipitated as hexagonal platelike crystals, and on the edges of these crystals the hematite grew epitaxially.

The interactions of surfactants with proteins have been widely studied. Recently, an attention has been paid to the effects of surfactants on the secondary structural changes of proteins denatured by another denaturing factor.

Organisms that can grow in a “extreme environment”, such as the high temperature environment, are called extremophiles. These organisms have unique biomolecules that are adapted to the environment in which they grow. A typical example are enzymes that catalyse most of chemical reactions in cells. General enzymes lose their molecular structure and function in high temperatures (e.g., 80°C), however hyperthermophiles, which can grow at 100°C, have enzymes with a unique structure that can maintain their function even at 100℃. Proteins from extremophiles can enable new chemical reactions that have not been possible with normal enzymes. We will conduct research to elucidate the structure and function of extremophiles, and apply them to industrial applications.

Biosensors using enzyme and antibody and biochips for using biosensor have been developed. For example, chemical agent sensor based on inhibition of enzyme activity and the RT-PCR biochip for rapid detection of COVID-19 have been studied.

Recently, ε-Fe2O3 has attracted interest because of its magnetic potentiality, but there are some difficulties to straightforwardly obtain the pure/single ε-Fe2O3 phase. We have found that ε-Fe2O3 crystallizes epitaxially on crystals of mullite in our study on a Japanese traditional stoneware called “Bizen” . Since the particle morphology of ε-Fe2O3 and the relative ε-Fe2O3-to-mullite crystallographic orientation strongly depend on the oxygen partial pressure during firing and the temperature range, the formation conditions is very complicated. We believe that elucidating the formation mechanism of ε-Fe2O3 will contribute to the development of novel magnetic materials.
We are also working on the development of Al-B-C high-temperature structural materials. Ternary metal borocarbides, Al3BC3, have been considered as promising candidates for lightweight structural components. We have succeeded in synthesizing hexagonal plate-like Al3BC3 particles by a simple synthesis method, and the sintered sample exhibited anisotropic mechanical properties and higher bending strength due to particle orientation. Currently, we are proceeding with various physical property measurements.

Our laboratory focused on a phosphoryl (Ph2P(O)) group’s chemistry as an electron-withdrawing and removable protecting group on terminal alkynes, development of new reation and synthesis of functional molecules are currently investigated. For example, we demonstrated a process-controlled regiodivergent synthesis of triazole derivatives with bromo(phosphoryl)ethyne as common starting material, an alternative synthesis of commercially available pharmaceutical molecule was also succeeded (Org. Lett. 2020, 22, 5099–5103.)

More recently, we synthesized novel π-extended aromatic amines from ynamine (= alkynylamine), and further applications to luminescence, photovoltaics and hole-transporting materials are in progress.