Fabrication of The Novel Designed Nanodrugs Composed of Poorly Water-Soluble Compounds

Features

One of our major research focuses is to design the novel drug nanoparticles, so called “Nano-prodrugs”, and to apply them as anticancer drugs or eye drops with excellent delivery efficiency. Nano-prodrugs are constructed by synthetic prodrugs molecules which contains poorly water-soluble substituent. They could be fabricated to nanoparticles with 100 nm or less in size by our reprecipitation technique, which has been used to create organic nanomaterials. We are aiming at practical application of our Nano-prodrugs in the near future.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Our reprecipitation technique for fabricating organic nanomaterials is a versatile technique that can be applied to various organic molecules as well as drug compounds. We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company on controlling and evaluating properties of the organic nanoparticles.

Synthesis of Novel Nano-Carbon Materials Using Nano-Space as a Reaction Field

Features

We are designing and developing novel nanocarbon materials together with their hybrids by controlling the reaction nano-fields for the syntheses of these materials. One example is fully tailored carbon nanotubes with uniform diameter and length. Another noteworthy material is zeolite-templated carbon which has structure regularity like zeolite and a surprisingly large surface area up to 4000 m2/g. In addition, we have recently developed a method for a complete coating of the entire surface of mesoporous silica with graphene layers.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

We are trying to apply these unique nanomaterials to electronic device, electrochemical capacitors, lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen storage, biosensors and capsules for drug and gene delivery. We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company for a practical application of this technology in industry.

Fabrication of The Novel Designed Nanodrugs Composed of Poorly Water-Soluble Compounds

Features

One of our major research focuses is to design the novel drug nanoparticles, so called “Nano-prodrugs”, and to apply them as anticancer drugs or eye drops with excellent delivery efficiency. Nano-prodrugs are constructed by synthetic prodrugs molecules which contains poorly water-soluble substituent. They could be fabricated to nanoparticles with 100 nm or less in size by our reprecipitation technique, which has been used to create organic nanomaterials. We are aiming at practical application of our Nano-prodrugs in the near future.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Our reprecipitation technique for fabricating organic nanomaterials is a versatile technique that can be applied to various organic molecules as well as drug compounds. We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company on controlling and evaluating properties of the organic nanoparticles.

Highly Functional Semiconductor Lasers and Nanoimaging Applications

Features

We are pursuing the ultimate functions of semiconductor lasers and their application potentials. Concerning the application research aspect, development of advanced biomedical technologies, in which photonic methods play key roles, is an important issue. Such applied science field is called to be biophotonics, and a goal of our biophotonics research is to accomplish a high-resolution imaging for very deep sites of bio-tissues by employing nonlinear optical effects. Another important issue is the super-resolution "nanoimaging", which can provide nanometer-scale spatial resolution images by optical methods.
To realize the above functionalities, very advanced light sources are required. For example, features of ultrashort temporal duration, high peak-power, and broadband wavelength selectivity should be incorporated. With this background, we are developing highly functional light sources based on the semiconductor laser technologies; these light sources will be practical (real-world-use) ones, rather than just for scientific use. The core of our technology is the novel semiconductor laser, which can produce ultrashort and high-peak-power light pulses.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Regarding academic-industrial cooperative research subjects, we expect to produce novel functional light sources that are compact, stable, cost effective, and thus widely usable for real world applications. Advanced biomedical measurement and diagnostic systems with these light sources will be also developed.

Development of Nano-Interface Chemistry for Materials Sciences Using Surface Forces Measurement

Features

Our research aims at developing methods, including instrumentation, for characterizing surface (or interface) at the nano-meter level. Most of our research subjects are related to the surface forces measurement, which can directly monitor the interaction between two surfaces. We study phenomena occurring at the solid-liquid interface such as adsorption and structuring of liquids. We have developed the resonance shear measurement which is a sensitive method for evaluating properties of confined liquid for nano-rheology and tribology. Twin-path surface forces apparatus we developed enabled us to study wide variety of samples such as metals, ceramics and plastics.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

These methods are applicable for characterizing lubricants, nano-materials, paints, sealants, and cosmetics. We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company for a practical application of this technology in industry.

Analysis and Function Elucidation of Fine Clusters and Defects in Materials Invisible by Electron Microscopy

Features

It is well known that nano-scale impurity/solute clusters, defects, defect clusters and their complexes affect the mechanical and electrical properties in materials. However, it is very difficult to observe these objects even by state-of-the-art electron microscopes. We overcome the difficulty by employing noble two techniques: laser three-dimensional atom probe (3D-AP) technique and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). Laser 3D-AP can map out each atom in various materials (metals, semiconductors, insulators) in three-dimensional real space with nearly atomic scale resolution. PAS can detect vacancy-type defects and defect-impurity complexes very sensitively.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

By combining these methods, we are going to reveal the functions of the fine impurity clusters and defects to the materials: developments of new nano-structured materials, the mechanism of degradation of aged structural materials, the fall in the yield of semiconductor device production, and developments of quantum devices etc.

Development of Nano-Interface Chemistry for Materials Sciences Using Surface Forces Measurement

Features

Our research aims at developing methods, including instrumentation, for characterizing surface (or interface) at the nano-meter level. Most of our research subjects are related to the surface forces measurement, which can directly monitor the interaction between two surfaces. We study phenomena occurring at the solid-liquid interface such as adsorption and structuring of liquids. We have developed the resonance shear measurement which is a sensitive method for evaluating properties of confined liquid for nano-rheology and tribology. Twin-path surface forces apparatus we developed enabled us to study wide variety of samples such as metals, ceramics and plastics.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

These methods are applicable for characterizing lubricants, nano-materials, paints, sealants, and cosmetics. We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company for a practical application of this technology in industry.

Magnetic Materials (Permanent Magnets, High Frequency Materials, Microwave Absorbers)

Features

The objectives of my researches are the development of high performance magnets and improvement of their magnetic properties. I have already developed following high performance magnets, such as Nd-Fe-B magnets using didymium, Sm-Fe-N high coercive powders prepared by HDDR and Fe-Cr-Co magnets. Recently, I have studied about the reduction of Dy content in Nd-Fe-B magnets for the use of HEV and have succeeded to develop high coercive Dy-free Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets by decreasing the grain size. I have also developed new kinds of microwave absorbers for the use in the frequencies of GHz range using permanent magnetic materials or nanoparticles.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

High performance magnetic materials can be used in many applications in automobile, home electronics, IT and medical industries. We hope to conduct collaborative researches with companies producing magnetic materials for the use in these applications, which aims to improve magnetic properties or to develop new magnetic materials.

Multi-functionalization of composite materials by microstructure design

Features

For further social development, it is required the miniaturization, weight saving, high performance of various devices. We study on fiber, particle reinforced polymer, metal, ceramic matrices composite materials using our knowledge about materials mechanics and numerical simulation such as finite element method. We recently address to develop multi-functionalized composite materials, which have high strength, super lightweight, energy harvesting function, damage monitoring function, biodegradable at the same time.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Development of Soft Magnetic Materials and Magnet Consisting of Complete Rare-Earth Free Elements Both with Ultimately-High-Efficient Types Contributing to Energy- and Resource-Saving by Precise Controlling their Nanostructures

Features

Features and Originalities
Research activities include high functionalization and attachment of additional values to the soft magnetic materials of iron-group based metallic glasses, nanocrystalline and amorphous alloys and magnets, both from non-equilibrium alloys with useful properties that have not been achieved by conventional crystalline alloys. Recent successful results contain newly-developed nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloys with high saturation magnetic flux density of 1.8 Tesla or higher and low core loss of ~1/3 to that of the Silicon steels and fabrication of rare-earth free L10-FeNi magnets.

Possible Academic/Industrial Collaborations
The target materials possess high potential as industrial materials owing to Fe-based alloy with low material costs accompanied by rare-earth-free nature and to producibility in an air environment. Expectations are contributions to energy-saving, saving mineral resources and reducing carbon dioxide emissions through collaborations with companies dealing with materials and applications.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Development of Innovative Green Nanodevices Using Damage-Free Processes

Features

We developed an entirely new concept of "bio-template ultimate process technology" and realized fabrication of uniform, size-controllable, defect-free, high-density and regularly-distributed quantum dot array on surface of arbitrary material. The quantum dot array can be applied to high efficiency and inexpensive quantum dot solar cells, high luminescence quantum dot lasers, high-speed graphene / germanium transistors, and so on, i.e., energy-generating, energy-storing, and low-energy-consumption devices.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

We can accept collaborative researches on nanodevices such as quantum dot solar cells or lasers, low-energy-consumption devices such as graphene transistor and germanium transistor, and fundamental technologies such as plasma/beam processes, thin film deposition, doping, and surface treatment.

Electronic properties of nanostructures and nanodevices

Features

1) We investigate interesting properties of nanostructures and develop materials and devices utilizing nanostructures.
2) We have techniques and skills on low-noise electric measurements, cryogenics, nanofabrication, and data informatics. We are open to new collaborations.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Development of Vector Beam and its Application to Nanoimaging

Features

Vector beams are very attractive because of their unique features such as small spot formation and strong longitudinal electric field near focus. We are developing a variety of generation methods of vector beams including Laguerre-Gaussian and Bessel-Gaussian beams and their higher order transverse modes. For instance, a smaller spot by approximately 30 % than that by a linearly polarized beam has been demonstrated and applied for nanoimaging.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Confocal scanning microscpy will benefit from vector beams as enhancement of spatial resolution. Otherwise, precision nano-processing will be possible. We are prepared to provide academic consultations to companies interested in our research.

Development of Miniature and Highly-Functional Photonic Devices Using Ultrafine Microstructures

Features

In our laboratory, miniature and highly-functional photonic devices based on new optical phenomena caused by the interaction of ultrafine microstructures with light have been studied. In addition, development of new production technology to overcome the problems that have been obvious from the practical application viewpoint of nanophotonic devices has been performed.

• -Main research topics--

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

We aim to realize optical filters, optical resonators, and color filters, by using above technologies. Also, development of nano-photonic elements fabricated by a nanoimprint technology has been progressed.
We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company for a practical application of this technology in industry.

Photo-Functional Advanced Materials for Nanofabrication by Nanoimprint Lithography

Features

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.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

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

Advanced Nanotechnology for Critical metal free secondary battery

Features

Monoatomic layered materials of Graphene, Transition metal sulfide nanosheet, nanocrystalline active materials, nanoparticles and nanoporous materials are investigated for realizing high capacity, high power, high safety and low cost energy storage devices as a post- Lithium ion battery. Advanced chemistry of functional materials and device processes for All solid state battery, Magnesium battery, fuel cells, supercapacitor and wearable batteries are investigated.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry

Academia – Industry collaboration with manufacturing companies of functional materials, batteries, and also smart grid, renewable energy, electrical power companies are encouraged for developments of advanced energy materials and post-Lithium ion battery.

Nanoparticle synthesis by femtosecond laser pulses

Features

By using femtosecond laser pulses, nanoparticles of noble metals (gold, platinum, silver, palladium etc.) are synthesized. Particles with the size of a few nanometers are fabricated by simply irradiating metal ion solution with the laser pulses. This process needs no reducing agent and is able to synthesize alloy nanoparticles of noble metals. The collection of nanoparticles is easy because the process is performed in liquid. We are prepared to provide academic consultations to companies interested in our research.

Targeted Application(s)/Industry