[Innovative Catalysts] Science and Creation of Innovative Catalysts

※ Affiliations and titles are as of the end of the research activity.

Strategic Objects

Creation of innovative catalysts using diverse natural carbon resources

Research Supervisor

Hiroshi Kitagawa

Hiroshi Kitagawa (Professor, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University)

Outline

In the modern society, oil is the principal carbon resource in the production of feedstocks that can be converted into chemicals and energy. To make efficient use of resources other than oil, such as methane and the lower alkanes which form the main constituent of natural gas, the creation of highly advanced technologies based on new ideas will be required.

This research area aims to create innovative catalysts that efficiently convert methane and lower alkanes into chemical feedstocks and energy.

Specifically, this research area will conduct research leading to the design and creation of advanced catalysts in reactions that can efficiently convert methane and the lower alkanes. Research on a wide range of catalysts will be promoted in this research area. Catalyst types can be homogeneous, heterogeneous or microorganisms. Metals, oxides, metal complexes and organometallic complexes, molecules, proteins, and etc. can take various structures, such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanosheets, porous materials, cage-types, core-shell types. Also, research into external reaction fields such as light, plasma, and electric fields can be included in the scope of this research area.

This research area aims to pioneer new methodologies in nanotechnology and materials research for catalysts, through the collaboration with fields such as computational science and evolving measurement technologies, and to promote original and challenging research that could become the new mainstream science and transform the chemical industry in the future.

Research Area Advisors

・Ken-ichi Aika
Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Institute of Technology

・Wataru Ueda
Professor, Department of Material and Life Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University

・Nobuo Uotani
Professor, Kyoto University

・Akihiro Okabe
Senior Researcher, Process Technology Center, Heterogeneous Catalysis Group, Mitusi Chemicals, Inc

・Yoshikuni Okumura
General Manager, Technology Development Department, Oita Complex, SHOWA DENKO K.K.

・Ken Suzuki
Principal Expert / Senior General Manager, Chemistry & Chemical Process Laboratory, Corporate Research & Development, ASAHI KASEI CORPORATION

・Yasushi Sekine
Professor, Applied Chemistry, Waseda University

・Yoshitaka Tateyama
Group Leader, Interface Computational Science Group, Center for Green Research on Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science

・Hideaki Tsuneki
Guest Senior Researcher, Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University

・Kyoko Nozaki
Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

・Junko Nomura
Associate Professor, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology

・Takashi Hayashi
Professor, Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University

・Jun Yoshinobu
Professor, The Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo

※Affiliations and titles are as of March 31, 2021.

Year Started : 2015

Development of photoelectrochemical system for oxidative coupling of methane

Researcher:
Fumiaki Amano(Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu)

Rational design and construction of artificial enzymes catalyzing conversion reactions of light alkanes

Researcher:
Koji Oohora(Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University)

Creation of Metal Oxide Catalysts for Selective Oxidative Upgrading of Lower Hydrocarbons

Researcher:
Keigo Kamata(Associate Professor, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Functionalization of Alkanes by Metal-Ligand Cooperation

Researcher:
Shuhei Kusumoto(Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo)

C-H activation of methane over homogeneous and heterogeneous hybrid strong base catalysts

Researcher:
Masazumi Tamura(Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University)

Creation of Innovative Catalysts based on Metal Nanosheets

Researcher:
Asami Funatsu(Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University)

Development of Function-Accumulated Catalysts for Methane Activation by Surface Specific Oxo Species and Pulse Field

Researcher:
Satoshi Muratsugu(Lecturer, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University)

Development of zeolite catalyst for direct conversion of methane into methanol, propene and butens

Researcher:
Toshiyuki Yokoi(Associate Professor, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Year Started : 2016

Development of Supramolecular Catalysts toward Methane Oxidation

Researcher:
Tomoya Ishizuka(Associate Professor, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba)

Methane activation in interface of semiconductor and porous insulator in the electric field followed by selective production of useful chemical resources

Researcher:
Satoshi Inagaki(Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National Univeristy)

Oxidative upgrading of light alkanes by unsteady-state operation

Researcher:
Atsushi Urakawa(Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology)

Low temperature direct conversion of methane over multi-redox catalysts inthe electric field

Researcher:
Shuhei Ogo(PRESTO Researcher, Japan Science and Technology Agency)

Activation of Oxidants by Circularly Arranged Vanadates

Researcher:
Yuji Kikukawa(Associate Professor, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University)

Eluciation of microscopic mechanism of catalytic effects via localized plasminon excitation

Researcher:
Takashi Kumagai(Research Group Leader, Physical Chemistry, Fritz-Haber Institute of the Max-Planck Society)

Unveiling molecular-level mechanism of photocatalytic partial oxidation and reduction of methane through operando spectroscopy

Researcher:
Toshiki Sugimoto(Associate Professor, Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences)

in silico design of hybrid and nano-confined metal-oxide based catalysts

Researcher:
Akira Nakayama(Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo)

Development of Bioelectrocatalysts for Methane Hydroxylation

Researcher:
Nobutaka Fujieda(Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University)

Development of metal sulfide cluster catalyst for direct conversion of methane to olefin

Researcher:
Takeshi Matsumoto(Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Year Started : 2017

Development of combined approach of first-principle chemical kinetics simulations toward catalyst performance prediction and its application to methane conversion catalysts

Researcher:
Atsushi Ishikawa (Senior Researcher, Center for Green Research on Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science)

New Photoredox Catalysts Working in Fine Bubbles in Water for Methane Oxidation

Researcher:
Takuya Kurahashi (Professor, Department of Nutrition Science University of Nagasaki)

Development of new catalysts for methane conversion based on operand measurements

Researcher:
Takanori Koitaya (Assistant Professor, Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences)

Hydrocarbon conversion using alkali metal based molten salt catalysts

Researcher:
Kazuhiro Takanabe (Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo)

Exploration of New Catalysis of Metal-Metal Bonds Toward Organic Synthesis with Methane

Researcher:
Jun Takaya (Associate Professor, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Catalytic activity control of nanosheets by field-effect surface chemistry

Researcher:
Ryo Nouchi (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University)

Microscopic elucidation of catalytic sites by in-situ TEM observation

Researcher:
Ayako Hashimoto (Senior Researcher, Research Center for Advanced Measurement and Characterization, National Institute for Materials Science)

Methane Oxidation by Metal Oxo Species in π Space

Researcher:
Yutaka Hitomi (Professor, Department of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University)

Light-driven methane oxidation in a fuel cell

Researcher:
Takahiro Matsumoto (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University)

Accumulation of Active Sites on Surface for Concerted Activation of Alkanes

Researcher:
Ken Motokura (Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University)

Synthesis of direct methane oxidation catalyst based on novel supramolecular transition metal-oxo species

Researcher:
Yasuyuki Yamada (Associate Professor, Research Center for Materials Science, Nagoya University)