[Thermal Control] Thermal Science and Control of Spectral Energy Transport

※ Affiliations and titles are as of the end of the research activity.

Strategic Objects

Development of innovative materials and device technologies based on understanding and manipulation of nanoscale thermodynamics

Research Supervisor

Katsunori Hanamura (Professor, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Overview

This research area aims to achieve a functional thermal management through such as a spectral control, a directional control and/or an on/off switching of energy transport in nanoscale for contributing to development of epoch-making devices and new materials that lead to a future sustainable society and information-supported industries. Furthermore, it aims to create a new concept or principle of the nanoscale transport of thermal energy by proposing a new measurement technology and a computational procedure for better understanding of fundamentals of the transport phenomena.

For example, a concept of energy transport distribution with respect to frequency or wavelength, i.e., an energy transport spectrum, will be developed, provided that the thermal energy was basically transferred by mechanisms such as phonon, vibrational and rotational modes of molecules or polymers, photon (or electromagnetic wave) and spin. Using a spectral control of energy transport, main part of spectral band will be reflected for insulation, converted into electricity by photovoltaics or phonon-voltaics, or introduced into a different direction for thermal management. Those research approaches will lead to an intrinsic understanding of spectral energy transport and thermal science relating to fundamental technologies for thermal management.

This research area promotes a wide range of specialized research fields, such as mechanical engineering, physics, materials science, chemistry (polymers and inorganics), biology, information technology and mathematics, to encourage interdisciplinary approaches that come from combination, exchange and synergy among various scientific knowledges from different fields.

This research area will be responsible for societal needs, such as significant issues relating global warming, development of renewable energy and use of unutilized energy for protection of global environment, to support a highly information-oriented and sustainable society, and also to promote challenging and creative researches that develop a new approach for thermal science that allows the control of spectral energy transport.

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Research Area Advisors

・Yuji Awano
Project Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University

・Emi Ohno
Deputy General Manager of Carbon Solution Business Unit, Resources, Energy and Environment Bussiness Area, IHI Corporation

・Mikio Kizaki
Chief Professional Engineer, Fuel Cell Products Development Div. Powertrain Company, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION

・Yoji Koike
Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University

・Shinichiro Nakamura
Senior Vice President, Silicon Valley Innovation Center, DENSO International America, Inc.

・Hiroyuki Fujita
Specially-Appointed Professor, Advanced Research Laboratories, Tokyo City University

・Takashi Funatsu
Professor, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo

・Tetsuo Munakata
Director-General, Fukusima Renewable Energy Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)

・Takao Mori
Group leader, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics Thermal Energy Materials Group, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)

・Junko Morikawa
Professor, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology

・Shinichi Yorozu
Deputy Director, Center for Quantum Computing, RIKEN