Division of Multidisciplinary Chemistry
    Integrating viewpoints of science and engineering, we aim at developing basis in the interdisciplinary area among chemistry, physics, and biology. We will carry out fundamental, exploratory researches through cooperation with other divisions/centers in ICR to establish a novel aspect of the advanced materials science.

    Polymer Materials Science

    Prof KANAYA, Toshiji (D Eng)

    Higher order structure and its formation process of polymer systems are investigated by means of scattering methods (neutron, x-ray and light scattering) and microscopes (optical, electron and atomic force microscope), aiming at revealing the relationship between polymer properties and higher order structure.
    Multi-layered polymer thin film consisting of alternatively stacked deuterated and hydrogenated polystyrene films and glass transition temperature of each layer.

    Molecular Rheology

    Prof WATANABE, Hiroshi (D Sc)

    Rheology and dynamics of softmatters are investigated with experiments and simulations from molecular viewpoints, mainly on polymers, emulsions and suspensions. For instance, a recent study revealed that the analysis of dielectric and viscoelastic data is capable to determine the molar mass of the cooperative sequence along the backbone. It was shown for example that the corresponding molar mass is ca. 2000 for polystyrene.

    Molar Mass of the Cooperative Sequence Length Determined from Dielectric and Viscoelastic Data

    Molecular Aggregation Analysis

    Prof SATO, Naoki (D Sc)

    Studies on structures and properties of molecular aggregates are carried out; research on solid-state chemistry of organic semiconductor thin films on the basis of direct observation of their frontier electronic states is in progress towards fabrication of new molecular systems to be useful for their electronic applications.

    Spontaneous build-up of thickness-dependent surface potential in an evaporated thin film of a zwitterionic molecule giving non-centrosymmetric crystal structure (such a behavior has not been observed for non-polar molecules or similar zwitterionic molecules)

    Supramolecular Biology
    Interdisciplinary Chemistry for Innovation
    Prof TOSHIMITSU, Akio (D Eng)
    Chemistry can contribute to the innovation through the collaboration with various fields of technology of industry and academia. Recent examples include design, synthesis, and evaluation of pyrene derivatives used in light-emitting field-effect transistors, sugar-fullerene linked compounds used in photodynamic therapy of cancers, and gadolinium complex of chiral dendrimers used in magnetic resonance imaging of cancers (shown in the figure).