Education policy
Through research activities of electrochemistry, we will be useful people in industry, academia and the public sector.
We consider things actively, act on our own, and become a human resource capable of overlooking the whole.
At College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, we have professional competence based on abundant education and a wide range of nutrition in the field of life science, contribute to the development of life science and related fields, sustainable with human happiness and nature.
It is aimed at nurturing human resources that contribute to the realization of a sustainable and prosperous society in which human happiness and nature are harmonized. Department of Applied Chemistry is the only department organized for chemistry at Ritsumeikan University, studying widely from chemical science to life science based on chemistry, challenging important issues society demands such as application to materials, energy and life systems.
The Inorganic Electrochemistry Laboratory began in April 2016. Through research on electrochemical devices such as lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells, we aim to solve energy-environment problems as life sciences from a broad perspective and to develop human resources capable of active in the world.
Research policy
Based on the fundamental understanding of reaction phenomena, we will develop next-generation electrochemical devices.
We will provide experimental data that will remain for many years.
We will collaborate with industry to create state-of-the-art energy devices.
research content
Portable devices such as smart phones and laptop computers that are used casually in daily life are devices that contain chemical reactions in combination. These devices have spread rapidly in the last few decades, in which numerous breakthroughs in applied chemical fields are contributing and changing the way in which of life of mankind. In our laboratory, we are studying rechargeable batteries that supply power to work the portable devices. In the near future, rechargeable batteries are expected to be widely used for energy storage of automotive power and green energy as a clean energy medium. Rechargeable batteries contain various materials deeply related to inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry, and it is necessary to understand the chemical reaction inside the battery and to improve the performance. In addition to the demand for longer operation, safer and more quickly charge, we need to look at cost and environmental compatibility. Through knowledge of inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and understanding of battery reactions and development of new materials, we are challenging the
Development of new materials for next energy devices
Compared to the current performance of lithium-ion batteries, rechargeable batteries for automobiles are required to be capable of incorporating more than twice as much energy and to operate more safely in the long term. In order to cause breakthrough in storage battery design, we synthesize candidate materials for next generation batteries, and perform mechanism analysis to improve their performance and enhance the reaction from the viewpoint of solid chemistry.
Diffusion in solid electrode
For electrodes of lithium-ion batteries, mixed ionic and electronic conductors are used in which both electrons and ions move through the material. Evaluation of the ion diffusion in this material is important for battery design, but it is not easy to accurately measure this. In this research, we will explore the diffusion behavior of ions by using synchrotron radiation to visualize the ion diffusion coefficient.
Operando measurement using synchrotron radiation
We develop new operando measurement methods that can directly measure the electronic state, crystal structure etc of the material under the progress of the electrochemical reaction. In Biwako-Kusatsu Campus there is a synchrotron radiation facility, and we can actively use it from undergraduate experiments. In some case, we also conduct experiments using the large-scale joint use experiment facilities such as SPring-8 and J-PARC.
The laboratory is on the 8th floor of Bio Link. On sunny days, we can see good scenery such as Lake Biwa and Mt. Hiei.
Experimental landscape. Lithium ion batteries that dislike moisture are assembled in a glove box.
Experiment in a synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8. We visualize chemical reaction inside battery during operating lithium-ion battery.