Takashi Kato（Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo）

The purposes of this research area to cultivate and establish “Molecular Technology” that freely controls the functions and behaviors of molecules, strongly promote further development and new expansion of studies and industrial capabilities of molecular materials in Japan, and contribute to the sustainable development of society in order to produce molecular-based new materials, new devices, and new processes. This research area targets innovative, challenging, and unique molecular technologies concerning technologies for designing, synthesizing, and altering molecular structures to produce functions of clearly defined molecular materials, technologies to create and control integrated or combined structures of molecules, technologies to develop molecular functions, and technologies to produce devices and processes. The field of study includes studies of fundamental technologies of molecular materials, such as studies founded on common bases, including challenging approaches that take into account the technical flow of design → conversion→ assembly and complexation → development of functions → production of materials → production of devices and processes, as well as research that integrates molecular designs and conversions.
Specifically, advanced, unique, and fundamental studies that contribute to the production of molecular technologies are targeted as important studies. Such studies include technologies to design, synthesize, and convert molecules with a clear goal of producing functions; technologies to construct orders of one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional molecular assemblies and complexes; technologies to build energy device materials that control behaviors of electrical charges and ions; studies based on comprehensive perspectives of the flow from fundamental studies for constructing environmental and medical materials that selectively transport molecules and ions using complex structures, such as artificial membranes and micelles to the process of turning them into materials; and studies on molecular measurement and analytical technologies.