Basic information of the Research Area

[Ultra Enduring Materials]Creation of Ultra Enduring Materials and Establishment of Their Theoretical foundation

Strategic Objective

Creating Ultra-Long Life Materials for a Sustainable Society：Transforming the concept of lifetime through prediction, prevention, and regeneration

Overview

In this research area, we focus on the lifespan of materials and devices for both structural and functional usage. Our goal is to create Ultra Enduring Materials that innovate the existing concept of lifespan—including materials and devices that surpass conventional lifespans, as well as those that utilize their surrounding environment to self-repair as needed—and to establish the underlying theoretical foundation.
The target materials include inorganic materials such as metals and ceramics, organic and polymer materials, and their composites. A diverse range of devices utilizing these materials is also included, such as batteries (solar cells, storage batteries, etc.), semiconductor devices, sensors, and functional polymers.
We will explore the essential mechanisms of degradation and failure, such as the elementary processes of degradation and failure at the interior and interfaces of materials and devices, across multiple scales from the atomic to device scale. Through such exploration, we aim to dramatically advance the understanding of degradation and failure mechanisms and build a robust scientific foundation for extending the lifespan of materials and devices. To elucidate these mechanisms, it is desirable to utilize multiscale, multiphysics, operando measurement technologies, computational science, and information science, all of which have been making rapid development in recent years. Furthermore, since degradation and failure in real-world environments are thought to progress through complex involvement of various physical, chemical, and biological factors, we will investigate degradation and failure phenomena of materials and devices in real-world environments, including extreme environments.
In addition, regarding the lifespan of materials and devices, we aim to establish methods capable of predicting the entire lifespan with high accuracy. To achieve this, it is necessary to construct mathematical models that consider the aforementioned complex factors of real-world environments based on knowledge cultivated through the elucidation of degradation and failure phenomena, to conduct lifespan prediction simulations utilizing statistics, information science, and AI, and to develop accelerated testing methods that reproduce actual lifespans with high precision.
By elucidating degradation and failure processes and developing high-precision lifespan prediction methods, we ultimately aim to create Ultra Enduring Materials and highly reliable, high-precision evaluation methods that innovate the conventional concept of lifespan, and to establish the theoretical foundation thereof.

Research Area Advisors

Schedule of Selection Process

Deadline for application	2026/06/02 at 12:00 noon, Japan time
Document-based review	2026/07/13
JST will contact to the interviewees no later than	2026/07/21
Interview-based review（ONLINE） ※Interview date and time will be assigned by JST.	2026/08/04

Research Supervisor's Policy

Research Supervisor's Policy of this Research Area can be downloaded from below.