Research

Nanotechnology is of key importance to realize a sustainable society. In order to fulfill its role, it is essential to establish a new science and technology that will enable us to innovate nanomaterials and apply them into practical uses. Focusing on the nanoporous materials, which are expected to play a vital role in such fields as environment and energy, we are concentrating on their syntheses and applications.

Synthesis of Nanoporous Materials

Any substances, from inorganic to organic, are our targets. We are focusing on the innovation of nanomaterials, especially zeolite and mesoporous silica that include molecular-sized spaces within their structures. We aim to bring new science and technology into reality by fusing two different approaches: bottom-up approach based on chemistry (self-assembly and self-organization) learning from biology and top-down approach learning from state-of-the-art solid-state technologies.

Application of Nanoporous Materials

Nanoporous materials have widely been used as catalysts, adsorbents and ion-exchangers, and can be called the "Backbone Materials of Today". We are trying to develop new processes in order to freely control the nanostructure, innovate novel nanomaterials and find out a way to apply them into practical uses. Our present concern is how to apply such new products to automotive emission control, hydrogen storage, fuel cells, optic devices, bio-separation, drug delivery and so on.