• Peptides are formed through the enzymatic actions in living organisms, but difficulty exists to form peptide by non-enzymatic actions. Here we report the success of peptide formation under anhydrous, high P and T conditions. We were successful to form 11-mer of glycine and 5-mer of alanine. They are important constituents of spider silk, which is a candidate of next generation of carbon fibers. Therefore, our techniques have potentials to apply making new carbon fibers without biotechnology.

• To realize IoT society, it is required the sensors, which function without battery charge. We study on energy harvesting materials using our knowledge about materials mechanics and numerical simulation such as finite element method. We recently address to develop energy harvesting devices, which can recovery the unharnessed　energy around us as electrical energy.

• Nakagawa group has dedicated to pursue scientific principles for molecular control of interface function occurring at polymer/other material interfaces and to put them into practice in nanoimprint lithography promising as a next generation nanofabrication tool. We are developing advanced photo-functional materials such as sticking molecular layers for "fix by light", UV-curable resins and antisticking molecular layers for "preparation by light", fluorescent resist materials for "inspection by light", and hybrid optical materials "available to light" and new research tools such as mechanical measurement systems to evaluate release property of UV-curable resins.

Our research aims at creating new devices to control photon, electron, and magnetism.

• Ti anodizing technique has been offered for coloring the surface of Ti, and its mechanism is understood by light interference varied with the oxide thickness. A characteristic of this study is to control the crystallinity of the oxide, and its originality is to provide photo-induced characteristics to Ti and its alloys by controlling the electrochemical conditions differed from that of coloration technology. This study is aimed for controlling the surface of Ti by using a simple and easy, inexpensive technique and to fabricate high functional titanium materials.

Related to practical applications, it is considered as a use for environmental purification such as deodorization and water purification, biomaterial and antibacterial and structural titanium.

• Hybrid materials that show multi-functions of polymer and nanoparticles are expected to be used in future industries, and thus many research and development have been actively conducted. However, since the affinity of polymer and inorganic nanoparticles is very low, in most of the cases, properties of different materials are incompatible in the hybrid materials. To create the hybrid materials with incompatible multi-functions has been considered a difficult task.
• However, by using supercritical fluid technology, we have succeeded in making hybrid materials with incompatible multi-functions.

Now, variety of hybrid materials are being developed, including
・Transparent, flexible, high reflective index, and high fabricability,
・Flexible, high heat conductivity, low electric resistivity, and high fabricability.

• The high-temperature strength in Co-based alloys is inferior to that in Ni-based superalloys due to no available ’ phase for strengthening Co-based alloys. We have found a new intermetallic compound Co3(Al,W) ’ phase, and /’ Co-Al-W-based wrought and cast alloys show excellent high-temperature strength. The /’ Ir-Al-W-based alloys are also available for high-temperature uses at over 1100 °C. The Co-based alloys also have good wear resistance. For example, friction stir welding (FSW) of high-softening-temperature materials such as steels and titanium alloys is possible using a Co-based alloy tool. We hope to conduct collaborative research with willing company for a practical application of the Co- or Ir-based alloys for high-temperature uses including FSW applications.

• We have been developing methods for explicating the dominant factors that determine the physical and chemical properties of materials and stacked structures used in human societies. Since the number of element atoms which consists of advanced materials has been increasing, and the crystallographic structure of the materials has become very complicated, both the various properties and reliability of the materials fluctuate significantly in nano-scale, and thus, deteriorate easily due to the local damages of the materials.

To design the optimal structure, composition of materials, and the fabrication process of both materials and stacked structures, we are going to develop a method of analyzing the atomic structure of thin film materials based on quantum mechanics and experimental methods for measuring material properties, atomic scale damage or defects in nano-materials.