Research Topics

Index
- Current Research Projects
- Recent Findings
- Invited Talks
- Often-cited Papers

Current Research Projects
Our research focuses on the application of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to the study of heterogeneous catalyst/catalysis. We are also interested in renewable energy development and their utilization including biogas, biodiesel and lignous biomass. Ongoing projects are:
  1. molecular imaging of chemical species adsorbed on solid surfaces by scanning probe microscopy (SPM),
  2. energy conversion from biomas using catalytic supercritical water gasification (SCWG),
  3. energy conversion of biogas, and
  4. development of cogeneration system that utilizes lignous biomass.
Index
Recent accomplishments include:
  1. developed a small portable generator (innner combustion) that rns on biogas (in collaboration with Umetsu Lab at Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine) and President Aoki of Tokachi Agriworks,

  2. completed a study on biogas utilization for fuel cell (in collaboration with New Energy Development Organization (NEDO) report,

  3. develpoed effective catalysts for low temperature supercritical gasification (SCWG) of biomas (in collaboration with industry),

  4. observed a new structure of octane thiol adsorbed on Au(111) surface by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). (In collaboration with Prof. Engstrom's group at Cornell University.)

  5. observed atomic arrangements on TiO2 (110) surface by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).

  6. observed initial stages of Pt complex adsorption on zeolite surfaces by atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Index
Invited Lectures (Last 15 years)
  1. [Invited Lecture] Surface Analysis using Scanning Probe Microscopy. [Tohoku Region Catalysis Society Lecture Meeting (Sendai, December 2007)]
  2. [Invited Paper] Recent Biogas Productions and Applications in Japan. [3rd International Symposium on New and Renewable Energy (Jeonju, November 2006)]
  3. [Invited Lecture] Observation of Light absorption Sites on Titanium Oxide Surface by Photoexcited STM. [Seminar on Precisive Surface and Photocatalysts (Nagoya, September 2005)]
  4. [Invited Lecture] Interactions between Catalyst Surfaces and Light observed by STM:TiO2(110). [The 90th Catalysis Society of Japan Meeting (Hamamatsu, September 2002)]
  5. [Plenary Lecture] Application of Scanning Probe Microscopy to Catalyst Research: A Few Examples.@ [The Workshop of Molecular Design and Simulation (Changsha, June 2002)]
  6. [Invited Paper] Atoms and Molecules on Zeolite Surfaces.@ [The 8th International Colloquium on Scanning Probe Microscopy and Asian SPM (3) (Atagawa, December 2000)]
  7. [Keynote Lecture] Atomic Force Microscopy Observations of Organic Molecules and Metal Complexes Adsorbed at Water-Zeolite Interfaces. [Bouyoucos Conference on Environmental Chemistry at the Clay-Water Interface (Honolulu, March 2000)]
  8. [Invited Lecture] Atomic and Molecular Arrangement Structure of Zeolite Surfaces and Adsorbed Molecules by Atomic Force Microscopy. [The 84th Catalysis Society of Japan Meeting (Akita, September 1999)]
  9. [Invited Lecture] AFM Observation of Molecular Adsorption Structures on Zeolite Surfaces. [The 76th Spring Meeting of Japan Chemical Society (Yokohama, March,1999)]
  10. [Invited Lecture] AFM Observation of Liquid-phase Adsorption Systems. [The 43rd Symposium of Japan Electron Microscopy Society (Chiba, October1998)]
  11. [Invited Lecture] Application of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to Catalyst Research. [The 19th Summer Study Meeting of Japan Catalysis Society (Kinugawa, August 1998)]
  12. [Invited Paper] Self Assembly of Aromatic Molecules over Zeolite (010) Surfaces: An AFM and Semiempirical Study. [The 7th International Conference on Molecular Electronics and Biocomputing (Nanjing, November 1997)]
  13. [Invited Lecture] Liquid-phase Adsorption Structure of Pyridine Base Molecules on Zeolite(010) Surfaces - An AFM Study. [Surface Science Society of Japan, Central Branch Study Meeting, "Measurement and Properties of Surface Nano-structures" (Hamamatsu, November 1997)]
Index
Often-cited Papers
(source: Science Citation Index - as of May 2006)
  1. Design and Preparation of Impregnated Catalysts. [Catal.Rev.-Sci.Eng.,27(1985)341-372] [SCI = 70]
  2. Concentration Profiles in Impregnation of Porous Catalysts: Nickel on Alumina. [J.Catal.,63(1980)35-52] [SCI = 58]
  3. Structure and Catalytic Activity of Sb Oxide Highly Dispersed on SnO2 for Propene Oxidation. [J.Catal.,109(1988)423-432] [SCI = 31]
  4. Structure of Platinum Ultrafine particles in Pt/C Catalyst Observed by STM. [J.Vac.Sci.Technol.A,8(1990)608-609] [SCI = 27]
  5. Atomic Force Microscopy Determination of the Molecular Orientation and Array Structure of a Pyridine Adlayer on Heulandite(010) Adsorbed from its Aqueous Solution. [J.Phys.Chem., 100 (1996) 15198] [SCI = 26]
  6. Atomic Force Microscopy Images of Natural Zeolite Surfaces Observed under Ambient Conditions.@ [Jpn.J.Appl.Phys., 33 (1994) 3761] [SCI = 23]
  7. Supported Metal Model Catalyst Surfaces Examined by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. [J.Microscop.,152(1988)197-203] [SCI = 21]
  8. A Surface Complex Produced on Supported Rhenium Catalysts during High-Pressure Hydrogenation of Carbon Monoxide. [J.Chem.Soc.,Chem.Commun., (1984) 618-619] [SCI = 21]
Average citations for the entire papers: 6.9

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