The goal of ERATO Uchida Magnetic Thermal Management Materials Project is
to explore new frontiers in applied thermal engineering—including thermoelectric conversion, thermal switching,
and magnetic refrigeration—through the creation of magnetic thermal management materials,
a new class of advanced energy materials that use magnetism to control heat.
Latest News
News
- May 7, 2026A review article summarizing the history and future prospects of experiments in spin caloritronics has been published in the 50th anniversary special issue of the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials.
- Jan. 6, 2026A special issue titled “Materials Science and Technology for Magnetic Thermal Management”, which compiles the achievements of this project as well as the latest research in related fields, has been published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.
- Oct 6, 2026[Press Release]Demonstrating a Novel Method to Modulate Heat Flow Through the Collective Motion of Spins
— A Step Forward Toward Innovative Thermal Transport Modulation Technology Using Magnetic Materials — - June 26, 2026[Press Release]World’s First Observation of the Transverse Thomson Effect
—A New Principle 170 Years After the Discovery of the Thomson Effect: Pioneering Next-Generation Thermal Management Technologies— - May 6, 2026An illustration about our paper entitled "Multifunctional composite magnet realizing record-high transverse thermoelectric generation" has been selected for the back cover of Energy & Environmental Science!
Upcoming Events
- Apr. 24, 2026The 15th Special CMSM-ERATO Joint Seminar will be held at NIMS with Prof. Vincent Tung from The University of Tokyo.
- Mar. 10, 2026The 14th Special CMSM-ERATO Joint Seminar will be held at NIMS with Prof. Takahiro Okabe from Hirosaki University.
- Dec. 19, 2025The 12th Special CMSM-ERATO Joint Seminar will be held at NIMS with Dr. Takashi Kikkawa from Japan Atomic Energy Agency.
- Nov. 20, 2025The 11th Special CMSM-ERATO Joint Seminar will be held at NIMS with Prof. Akitoshi Nakano from Nagoya University.
- June 13, 2025The 10th Special CMSM-ERATO Joint Seminar will be held at NIMS with Dr. Nicolás Pérez from Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research.
Research Targets
Research Groups
This project, based at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), includes researchers from
a wide range of backgrounds—including condensed matter physics, metallurgy (permanent magnet development),
nanostructure analysis, thermal measurement, and heat-transfer engineering—working in concert
to create magnetic thermal management materials.
Message from Research Director
The core mission of this project is to connect microscopic thermo-spin conversion principles—which, to date, have only been available at the nanoscale—to the macroscopic material properties. To transcend the barriers separating the macroscopic and microscopic worlds, we combine methods for controlling phase interfaces with multiscale materials-science techniques based on cutting-edge insights into spin caloritronics—a field that was previously restricted to proof-of-concept experiments and exploration of individual functionalities, but is now in the process of being revolutionized by the results of our research.

Ken-ichi UCHIDA
ERATO Research Director, Japan Science and Technology Agency
Distinguished Group Leader, Spin Caloritronics Group
Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronic Materials, National Institute for Materials Science
Professor, Department of Advanced Materials Science
Graduate school of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo

