Nanotechnology for Sustainable Energy

Energy innovation from advanced research of nanotechnology

Modern advanced information society has been supported by the rapid progress of semiconductor device technologies in the past half century. The downsizing of personal computers and mobile phones is owing to the progress of semiconductor process engineering to fabricate transistors on a nanometer scale and the innovation of lithium-ion rechargeable battery. In this way, our life-style greatly changed every time new technology came out.

On the other hand, the aftermath of the 2011 mega-earthquake and tsunami, which severely damaged the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, exposed some drawbacks and limitations of modern society. Nowadays, scientists are required to re-design and innovate new, clean, and renewable energy resources and technologies for sustainable society. Our department tackles these issues for the establishment of a “smart energy flow”, i.e., efficient energy-generation, storage, transport, and utilization, on the basis of nanotechnology and materials science.

Our department covers a wide range of research fields related to nanotechnology and materials science. We design new materials to create novel physical/chemical functionalities and manipulate matter on a nanometer scale to produce these new materials. Our department is the first and unique department which implements inter-disciplinary research on non-nuclear renewable energy and nanotechnology.

In addition, we offer an excellent research environment with cutting edge equipment and education opportunities on the basis of open innovation, which accelerates fusion research between several research groups and provides a melting pot to stimulate new ideas.

List of research groups

• Theoretical Materials Design
• Computational Chemistry for Catalysis
• Structural Physics using Synchrotron X-rays
• Process Technology in Extreme Condition
• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Advanced Functional Materials
• Crystal Growth and Defect Physics in Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors
• Surface Science
• Wide Bandgap Semiconductor

web site of The Department of Nanotechnology for Sustainable Energy(English)