[Thermal Control] Creation of Innovative Core Technologies for Nano-enabled Thermal Management

Strategic Objective

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

Research Supervisor

Shigeo Maruyama (Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo)

Assistant Supervisor

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

Overview

This research area aims to create innovative core technologies for the fundamental understanding, high-level control, and high-level utilization of heat to solve various heat-related problem and effectively utilize thermal energy.

More specifically, this research area will be promoted in accordance with three policies.

The first policy aims to understand nanometer-scale thermal behavior, develop innovative core technologies for nano-enabled thermal control, and consequently create novel materials for high-performance heat dissipation, thermal insulation, heat storage, and thermal conversion and develop novel devices to markedly improve properties and increase functionalities of conventional devices.

The second policy aims to promote the research and development of important theories, measurement technologies, simulation technologies, and processing technologies, which are to be developed in the process of creating the core technologies described above. These new technologies will be useful for not only predicting and verifying the physical properties of nanoscale thermal behavior but also investigating new materials and devices.

Because this research area covers various heat-related challenges based on the understanding nanoscale heat behavior in a wide range of application fields, the third policy aims to promote the fusion of various disciplines and a wide range of academic and technological fields.

This research area is expected to create nano-enabled thermal management techniques to effectively utilize heat and construct a next-generation society that utilizes heat with excellent efficiency in order to contribute to realize of an advanced information society; environmentally friendly electronics, transportation systems, and housing; and new industries and markets in the field of health and medical care.

Research Area Advisors

・Haruhiko Obara
Executive Officer & Director General, Department of Energy and Environment, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)

・Akira Kikitsu
Senior Expert, Storage Device Technology Laboratory, Toshiba Corp., Corporate R&D Center

・Yibin Xu
Group Leader, Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science

・Shinji Tsuneyuki
Professor, School of Science, The University of Tokyo

・Takaharu Tsuruta
Vice President, Nishinippon Institute of Technology

・Katsunori Hanamura
Professor, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology

・Yoshiro Hirayama
Professor emeritus, Tohoku University

・Hiroyuki Fujita
Distinguished Professor, Tokyo City University

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

・Takafumi Yamauchi
Senior Researcher, Energy Management Research-Domain, TOYOTA CENTRAL R&D LABS., INC.

・Tsuneyuki Yamane
Vice President・General Manager, Research Division Technology and Patent Survey Laboratory, Toray Research Center, Inc.