• Intergranular degradation often results in decreased lifetime, reliability and economical efficiency of polycrystalline materials. In spite of persistent efforts to prevent such degradation, its complete suppression has not yet been achieved. Grain boundary studies have revealed that coincidence-site-lattice (CSL) boundaries have stronger resistance to intergranular degradations than random boundaries. The concept of ‘grain boundary design and control' has been refined as grain boundary engineering (GBE). GBEed materials which are characterized by high frequencies of CSL boundaries are resistant to intergranular degradations. Our group has achieved very high frequencies of CSL boundaries in commercial stainless steels by GBE. GBEed stainless steels showed significantly stronger resistance to intergranular corrosion (see Figs. 1 and 2), weld-decay, knife-line attack, stress corrosion cracking, liquid-metal embrittlement, radiation damage, etc. and much longer creep life (see Fig. 3) than the unGBEed ones.

By using this GBE processing, we expect to conduct effective collaborative research in related fields.

• Multifunctional molecular-assemblies and hybrid organic - inorganic materials are examined from the viewpoint of structural freedom of organic molecules. The spin and electronic states of molecular-assemblies are designed in terms of electrical conductivity, magnetism, and ferroelectricity. Diverse molecular assemblies from single crystal, plastic crystal, liquid crystal, gel, to Langmuir-Blodgett film are our research targets, which were hybridized with inorganic gigantic clusters and metal nanoparticles. We are prepared to provide academic consultations to companies interested in our research.

• We are doing theoretical research on electrical conductivity in magnetoresistive devices using highly spin-polarized materials. The aim is to achieve very functional spintronics devices such as read-out heads for ultrahigh-density magnetic recording and non-volatile spin memories. We also investigate magnetoresistive devices using perpendicularly magnetized materials to ensure endurance against thermal fluctuations of the magnetization. We successfully achieve a guideline for improvement of the magnetoresistive performance by designing the crystal structure at the interface between ferromagnets and oxides theoretically.
• We believe that first-principles calculations, which need no empirical parameter, play a very important role in research and development of various materials. Please contact us if you want to collaborate with us.

• Highly-sensitive NMR technique has been developed by manipulation polarization of nuclear spins via control of transport characteristics in GaAs and InSb quantum structures. This highly-sensitive NMR can be applied to two-dimensional and nanostructures. Furthermore, ideal gate controllability has been demonstrated in InSb quantum structures with Al2 O3 dielectrics. More importantly, the concept of generalized coherence time was introduced, where noise characteristics felt by nuclear spins can be measured including their frequency dependence. This concept will bring about a change in all nuclear-spin related measurements.

Next generation InSb devices based on good gate controllability. Various nuclear-spin based measurements and NMR utilizing the concept of generalized coherence time. Highly-sensitive NMR is now important for fundamental physics studies. In the future, it will contribute to quantum information processing.

• We challenge to fabricate in vacuum-stabilized micro/nano-scale liquid materials, explore their novel chemicophysical properties and develop their vacuum processing applications. The representative examples include ultra thin film ionic liquid on the nanometer scale and advanced vapor-liquid-solid growth (VLS) of inorganic/organic materials, such as 4H- and 3C-SiC films, single crystal pentacene and a porous polymer film of plolythiophene.

Our research outcomes will contribute to the following research and development:
1) a next-generation semiconductor process with the merits of the wet process
2) a new purification process of organic semiconductors, by which some part of inorganic semiconductor materials would be replaced in response to the present world-wide shortage of semiconductors.

In addition, the consultation of how to use our ionic liquid-assisted vapor growth method in attempt to obtain organic single crystals is welcome.

• Properties of matter, such as reactivity and functionality, are determined by the motion of the constituent electrons. For this reason we aim at developing new spectroscopic methods, by using electron Compton scattering, that would visualize the electron motion for stable species and most importantly the change of electron motion in transient species, which is the driving force behind any chemical reactions;
• (1) development of molecular frame electron momentum spectroscopy for momentum-space imaging of molecular orbitals in the three-dimensional form,
• (2) developments of multiparameter coincidence techniques for studies on stereo-dynamics in electron-molecule collisions,
• (3) development of time-resolved electron momentum spectroscopy for visualization of the change of electron motion in transient species.
• We hope to conduct collaborative research with a willing company for a practical application of this technology in industry, and we are also prepared to provide academic consultations to companies interested in our research.

• Conventional X-ray imaging methods that rely on X-ray attenuation cannot generate clear contrast in the observation of low-density materials such as polymers consisting of low-Z elements. However, the sensitivity to the materials can be improved drastically by X-ray phase imaging that detects X-ray refraction caused by the materials. X-ray Talbot or Talbot-Lau interferometry consisting of X-ray transmission gratings is now constructed in laboratories for X-ray phase imaging. X-ray phase tomography is also realized, enabling high-sensitive three-dimensional observation.
• X-ray phase imaging can be utilized for X-ray non-destructive testing of industrial products and baggage that cannot be checked conventionally.

We aim at appending a phase-contrast mode to micro-CT apparatuses and developing screening apparatuses in production lines.