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Functional Soft Matter Research Group
Takuzo AIDA
Group Director
Takuzo AIDA (D.Eng.)
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Research Areas

With world's focus on environment and energy issues, our group aims to establish a novel principle of material sciences addressing these problems, through the development of unprecedented functional materials with precisely controlled structure and properties at molecular to nanoscale levels. In order to achieve these missions, three research teams involved are to cooperate together closely and actively.

(i) Water-based materials as alternatives to conventional plastics
Water is the safest, most abundant substance on the earth. Our group aims to create water-based materials, referred to as "aqua materials", as alternatives to conventional plastics. If many useful materials are available from water, they not only provide a solution to address environmental issues, but give rise to breakthroughs in environmental, biological, medical, and materials sciences, as well. To this goal, we aim at (1) establishing the concept of aqua materials by demonstrating their potentials to a wide variety of applications, and (2) realizing highly efficient and clean chemical/biological reactions through the design of particular aqueous environments.

(ii) Unprecedented design of organic thin-film solar cells with efficient photovoltaic output
Given our increasing dependency on fossil-fuel energy, it is urgently necessary for us to create conceptually novel solar cell systems. For this aim, our group will explore unprecedented designs of organic thin-film solar cells that allow for a highly efficient photovoltaic output. The main research subjects include (1) control of structure and properties of organic film/metal electrode interfaces, (2) reduction of negative effects of grain boundaries inside active layers, (3) development of a universal methodology for large-area configurational control of donor/acceptor layers.

Research Subject

  1. Development of functional organic, polymeric, supramolecular nanomaterials
  2. Development of dynamically responsive soft materials
  3. Environment conscious alternatives to conventional plastic based on hydrogels
  4. Soft materials based on the in-situ reactions of molecular assemblies
  5. Development of photoelectric conversion systems using functional organic semiconductors

Related links

  1. RIKEN Advanced Science Institute Website_Laboratories PageNew Window
  2. The University of Tokyo_AIDA LABORATORY PageNew Window

Press release

November 15, 2010
Study uncovers redox response properties of largest-ever polymeric o-phenylenes
November 5, 2010
New photosensitive film converts light into kinetic energy, bends when irradiated

RIKEN RESEARCH

November 18,2011
Making liquid crystals stand tall
Molecular 'handles' that allow on-demand growth of thick columnar films make enhanced liquid crystal devices viable New Window
September 16,2011
Building towards better memories
Molecule-based memory devices edge closer with the development of supramolecular structures that act as tiny magnets New Window
January 21,2011
Making light work of artificial muscles
Polymer films that unfurl in the light could be the first of a new family of functional materials New Window
January 21,2011
Twisted switches
Helical molecules that contract reversibly when oxidized pave the way to new single-molecule electrochemical switches New Window

List of Selected Publications

  1. Aida, T., Meijer, E. W., and Stupp, S. I.:
    "Functional Supramolecular Polymers"
    Science 335, 813-817 (2012).
  2. Zhang, W., Jin, W., Fukushima, T., Saeki, A., Seki, S., and Aida, T.:
    "Supramolecular Linear Heterojunction Composed of Graphite-Like Semiconducting Nanotubular Segments"
    Science 334, 340-343 (2011).
  3. Ohta, E., Sato, H., Ando, S., Kosaka, A., Fukushima, T., Hashizume, D., Yamasaki, M., Hasegawa, K., Muraoka, A., Ushiyama, H., Yamashita, K., and Aida, T.:
    "Redox-Responsive Molecular Helices with Highly Condensed π-Clouds."
    Nat. Chem. 3, 68-73 (2011).
  4. Kawamoto, M., Shiga, N., Takaishi, K., and Yamashita, T.:
    "Non-Destructive Erasable Molecular Switches and Memory Using Light-Driven Twisting Motions"
    Chem. Commun. 8344-8346 (2010).
  5. Ishida, Y., Achalkumar, A. S., Kato, S., Kai, Y., Misawa, A., Hayashi, Y., Yamada, K., Matsuoka, Y., Shiro, M., and Saigo, K.:
    "Tunable Chiral Reaction Media Based on Two-Component Liquid Crystals: Regio-, Diastereo-, and Enantio-Controlled Photo-Dimerization of Anthracenecarboxylic Acids."
    J. Am. Chem. Soc. 132, 17435-17446 (2010).
  6. Hosono, N., Kajitani, T., Fukushima, T., Ito, K., Sasaki, S., Takata, M., and Aida, T.:
    "Large-Area Three-Dimensional Molecular Ordering of a Polymer Brush by One-Step Processing."
    Science 330, 808-811 (2010).
  7. Wang, Q., Mynar, J. L., Yoshida, M., Lee, E., Lee, M., Okuro, K., Kinbara, K., and Aida T.:
    "High-Water-Content Mouldable Hydrogels by Mixing Clay and Dendritic Molecular Binder."
    Nature 463, 339-343 (2010).
  8. Yamamoto, Y., Zhang, G., Jin, W., Fukushima, T., Ishii, N., Saeki, A., Seki, S., Tagawa, S., Minari, T., Tsukagoshi, K., and Aida, T.:
    "Ambipolar-Transporting Coaxial Nanotubes with a Tailored Molecular Graphene-Fullerene Heterojunction."
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 106, 21051-21056 (2009).
  9. Alam, M. A., Motoyanagi, J., Yamamoto, Y., Fukushima, T., Kim, K., Kato, K., Takata, M., Saeki, A., Seki, S., Tagawa, S., and Aida, T.:
    "'Bicontinuous Cubic' Liquid Crystalline Materials from Discotic Molecules: A Special Effect of Paraffinic Side Chains with Ionic Liquid Pendants."
    J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131, 17722-17723 (2009).
  10. Sekitani, T., Nakajima, H., Maeda, H., Fukushima, T., Aida, T., Hata, K., and Someya T.:
    "Stretchable Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode Display using Printable Elastic Conductors."
    Nat. Mater. 8, 494-499 (2009).

Members

Principal Investigator

Takuzo AIDA
Group Director




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