The innovation of a new battery with long operating life and high energy density beyond the present lithium-ion batteries is the key to the stable supply of electrical energy generated from natural sources such as wind power, solar power, and so on. In this project, s-block metals are used as the anode of the new battery. The hetero-interface for the reaction between “ion” and “electron” is the key part of the new battery. In order to control the hetero-interface at the nanometer level, nano-sized electrode materials are investigated. We will establish a hetero-junction between an electrode and an electrolyte for fast s-block metal ion transfer.

In order to contribute to suppressing CO₂ emission by reducing the usage of fossil fuels through improvement in the efficiency of energy utilization, highly efficient thermoelectric materials composed of non-toxic and resource-abundant cheap elements will be developed and assembled into TE devices and systems to harvest electric power from heat coming out of industries, vehicles, etc. and also from natural heat such as solar heat, geoheat, etc.

Field experiments of reflooding and reforestation will be carried out to verify the possibility of bringing the drained tropical peatlands that emit huge amount of carbon dioxide back to a sink of carbon dioxide. Suitability of the woody biomass for biofuel and other biomaterials will be examined as well. The goal is to establish, through the evaluation of potential emission reduction and the examination of feasibility, a system for sustainable land management considering peat conservation, plantation and product utilization.

Biomass conversion to clean liquid fuels is one of value-added methods for the utilization of renewable resources with promising enerｇy efficiency. Our team has developed the catalysts for the energy-efficient conversion of biomass to synthesis gas, the single-step conversion of the synthesis gas to gasoline, and one-pass conversion of the synthesis gas to methanol. These will be connected to the construction of enerｇy-efficient biomass conversion process and the reactor downsizing.
（Research term: 1 Oct. 2008 - 31. Mar. 2011）

To reduce carbon dioxide emission, plastic solar cell with 10% efficiency will be prepared, by developing fullerene derivatives, conductive polymers, dye super-molecules, and tandem structured cells with wide spectral range of absorption. Science of organic photovoltaics will be developed regarding the molecular and film structure.

The green alga, Botryococcus braunii absorbs carbon dioxide by photosynthesis and produces oil with the purity of more than 90%. The basic knowledge and technological fundamentals for increasing the efficiency of oil production were obtained as follows; the construction of the culture and information centers, showing the optimum conditions for oil production, establishment of herbicide tolerant strain, development of energy-conserved oil extraction method and mass cultivation in outdoor bioreactors. These results would draft the design of the large-scale plant with market value and open up a new vista of future large-scale commercial plant.
（Research term: 1 Oct. 2008 - 31 Mar. 2012）