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Last Update:2013.4.1
This research area addresses resource, energy, and environmental problems, which should be solved to build a sustainable society from the viewpoint of materials science and solid-state science based on Element Strategy and aims to create innovative functions of intelligent materials that are quite different from conventional functions.
Specifically, under the concept of Element Strategy “understanding and effective use of the roles of key elements that determine the properties and functions of intelligent materials,” we conduct research and development to create innovative properties and functions of intelligent materials by multilaterally and systematically elucidating and understanding problems common in the expression of a variety of functions, such as structure, interface, and electron correlation, and controlling the functions. With a variety of element properties in mind, we investigate ways of expressing the intended functions from a microscopic viewpoint, such as electronic state, atomic arrangement, and molecular structure, and aim to create innovative functions of intelligent materials to solve a variety of problems by using various methods, such as measurement technology and computational science, and designing structures, functions, and reactions. We promote ambitious and challenging research with a multidisciplinary integration beyond the boundaries of the academic fields of physics, chemistry, engineering, and materials science.
1970 | Assistant Professor, Department of Synthetic Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University |
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1986 | Associate Professor, Department of Synthetic Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University |
1993 | Professor, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University |
2000 | Director, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University |
2004 | Director, International Research Center for Elements Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University |
2005 | Director, RIKEN Frontier Research System |
2008 | Director, RIKEN Advanced Science Institute |
2010 | Director, Green-forefront Materials Department, RIKEN Advanced Science Institute |
2013 | Science Advisor / Director, Global Research Cluster, RIKEN (- current) |
Hideki IBA | General Manager, Battery Research Department, Toyota Motor Corporation |
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Kohsaku USHIODA | Fellow, Technical Development Bureau, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation |
Masuo OKADA | President, Hachinohe National College of Technology |
Masatoshi TAKAO | Senior University Research Administrator (URA), Support Office for Large-scale Education and Research Projects, Osaka University |
Setsuko TAJIMA | Professor, Department of Physics, Osaka University |
Masaaki TOKUNAGA | Part-time Lecturer, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University |
Eiichi NAKAMURA | Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo (2010 Nov. - 2011 Sep.) |
Tomohiro NAKAYAMA | Program Officer / Expert, Element Strategy Program of MEXT / Center of Research and Development Strategy, Japan Science and Technology Agency |
Hideo HOSONO | Professor, Frontier Research Center & Materials and Structure Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology |
Sadamichi MAEKAWA | Director General, Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency |
Hiroaki MISAWA | Director, Professor, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University |
Shinji MURAI | Professor, Nara Institute of Science and Technology |
Masanori MURAKAMI | Vice Chancellor, Ritsumeikan University |
Hatsumi MORI | Professor, Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo |
Creation of innovative function of materials by application of nanoscale material structural control technologies, such as controlling the atomic arrangement, towards the practical use of rare-metal-free materials and new targeted functions, such as ultra-high coercivity and ultra-high fracture toughness
The Elements Science and Technology Project, which has been promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) since 2007, aims to restructure conventional materials science from the perspective of understanding the role of and making effective use of certain elements that determine the properties and functions of materials and to establish the technological foundation for substitution and strategic use of rare and hazardous elements. Three years after the start of the project, solid results are beginning to appear.
Research and development approaches contributing to the Element Strategy may largely fall into the following types:
In cases of the first type of R&D approaches, an alternative material often fails to functionally outperform an existing material that contains rare elements due to the limited range of selection of alternative elements. In cases of the second type, even if the expression mechanism of the function of an existing material is clarified, major functional improvements are difficult to achieve due to the limited number of conditions that can be changed within the extent of such a principle. On the other hand, in cases of the third creative type, an approach will be developed that realizes the targeted function by uncovering the nature of the expression mechanism. Thus, creative-type approaches are likely to obtain the targeted materials without limitation on the existing functional elements and have been the subject of increasing expectations in recent years.
Toward the purpose of establishing the technological foundation for substitution and strategic use of rare and hazardous elements, the Strategic Sector intends to verify and understand the mechanisms of expression of the targeted material functions and control nanoscale material structures (atomic arrangements, magnetic domain structures, molecular structures, etc.) in order to create innovative functional materials beyond the mere substitution of rare and hazardous elements.
For the Strategic Sector, the following research and development steps are expected to be taken:
Examples of expected results of the Strategic Sector based on the above-described nanoscale material structural control may include:
The Strategic Sector intends to solve issues probably almost insoluble without developing innovative materials that match the definition of “True Nano” in the nanotechnology and materials field, one of the Four Priority Fields to Be Promoted under the Third Science and Technology Basic Plan, and also intends to overcome obstacles to securing an international competitive edge. This is an important policy contributing to innovative rare or scarce resource substitute material technology expected to provide a decisive solution to resource problems, which is regarded as one of the strategic S&T agendas in that field. There are strong social and industrial demands for the implementation of the Strategic Sector as a fundamental solution to the major challenge of resource problems faced by resource-scarce Japan. In addition, the substitution and strategic use of rare elements, which the Strategic Sector aims at, are designated as innovative technologies for substitution materials and recovery technologies for rare metals under the Strategy for Innovative Technology.
Moreover, the Strategic Sector contributes to the technological development of alternative materials for rare metals and rare earth elements upheld under (1) the Strategy for Becoming an Environment and Energy Power Through Green Innovation of the New Growth Strategy (Basic Policies) (Cabinet Decision, December 30, 2009).
The approach taken in the Strategic Sector is to create innovative materials in order to achieve the purpose of restructuring conventional materials science from the perspective of understanding the role of and making effective use of certain elements in determining the properties and functions of substances and materials in order to establish the technological foundation for substitution and strategic use of rare and hazardous elements. Therefore, the Strategic Sector may contribute to the following strategic S&T agendas in the nanotechnology and materials field, which is one of the Four Fields to be Promoted under the aforementioned Third Science and Technology Basic Plan:
The Strategic Sector constitutes one of the core measures in the nanotechnology and materials field. Specifically, the measures devised to substitute rare and hazardous elements with ubiquitous elements are the Elements Science and Technology Project under the MEXT and the Project for Alternate Rare Metal Materials under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), both of which have been underway since 2007. The former, i.e., the MEXT’s Elements Science and Technology Project, is a measure aiming at restructuring conventional materials science from the perspective of understanding the role of and making effective use of certain elements that determine the properties and functions of substances and materials in order to establish the technological foundation for substitution and strategic use of rare and hazardous elements. This project requires that industry, government, and academia develop collaborative proposals from which agendas likely to bridge basic studies to practical applications are selected and promoted. Meanwhile, the latter, i.e., the METI’s Project for Alternate Rare Metal Materials, sets out realistic reduction targets specifically for elements requiring urgent attention and promotes intensive research and development on these elements in order to establish non-ferrous metal substitute materials and non-ferrous metal consumption reduction technology. So far, development has been promoted for substitute materials of In, Dy, W, Pt, Eu, Tb, and Ce. These two projects primarily take the substitution and improvement approaches based on existing materials to the research and development of alternative materials of rare and hazardous elements.
On the other hand, the Strategic Sector takes a new creative R&D approach and aims to create innovative functional materials by providing materials with nanoscale structures (atomic arrangements, magnetic domain structures, molecular structures, etc.) with targeted material functions toward the achievement of the goal shared with the aforementioned Elements Science and Technology Project. As for the necessity of the creation of material functions from the perspective of the control of such nanoscale material structures, proposals have been made on many occasions, including the Study Panel on the Strategy for Rare Elements and the Rare Metal Substitute Materials Development Symposium.
Nanotechnology is a technology that breaks new ground in science and technology and contributes to industrial competitiveness enhancement and creation of new industries. According to the Promotion Strategies for Prioritized Areas of the Third Science and Technology Basic Plan, “True Nano” is defined as nanotechnologies not only based on unique phenomena and properties unprecedented outside the nano domains but also likely to promote creative research and development toward groundbreaking technological jumps or to major industrial applications. The Strategic Sector intends to design nanoscale material structures to create innovative high functions and to provide existing substances and materials or ubiquitous elements with new, once-unthinkable properties and extract unknown functions dormant in them. In other words, the Strategic Sector intends natural resource-scarce Japan to make adept use of ubiquitous elements on the basis of the elemental accumulation of achievements in nanotechnology and materials science and technology to realize useful functions and provide solutions to important social issues. This is an attempt to quantify the true value of Japanese nanotechnology, so to speak. Thus, the Strategic Sector clearly aims at practical applications of “True Nano” and constitutes a priority area that supports the foundation of the nanotechnology and materials field where research and development initiatives are encouraged to discover new functions using various forms of materials and substances without being biased by empirical assumptions of some functions unique to certain materials or elements.
(1) Examples of related studies
Recent years have seen examples of materials development programs conducted from the perspective of the nanoscale material structural control for realizing the mechanism of expressions of targeted material functions, and high expectations are mounting. Typical examples of development are transparent electrode materials and iron-based superconducting materials. In former case, it was succeeded to provide the typical element of cement, 12CaO?7Al2O3, with high electrical conductivity comparable with that of metals by replacing oxygen ions with electrons in 0.5-nanometer cages in the crystal structure. In the latter case, superconductivity was provided to the layered compound (LaOFeAs), which consists of the layer of an electrically insulating layer (LaO layer) and a metallic conducting layer (FeAs layer), and has been traditionally known to be non-superconducting. Both are examples of materials that are provided with completely new functions from nanoscale structural control.
On the other hand, according to the International Comparison of Science and Technology, Research and Development 2009?Nanotechnology and Materials Field (JST Center for Research and Development Strategy), nanoscale material control-related research and development programs addressed in the Strategic Sector include those for magnetic materials represented by spintronics materials, in addition to the examples above, and Japan is moving ahead of the rest of the world in these fields.
(2) Prospect of developments in this research field
R&D concepts and agendas to be addressed have been discussed at the Study Panel on the Elements Science and Technology Project held by the MEXT or the New Material Design Hunting Workshop organized by the JST Center for Research and Development Strategy and also presented to research communities. In response, academic societies, including the Chemical Society of Japan, the Ceramic Society of Japan, the Japan Institute of Metals, the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, the Materials Strategy Commission, and the Japan Society of Applied Physics, have organized large-scale voluntary surveys and symposia on research seeds and started discussions from broad perspectives. Many proposals for excellent materials have been made to industrial circles, raising expectations that this research field will make great progress.