Research Topics

Index
- Research Projects
- Recent Topics
- Invited Talks
- Often-cited Papers

Current Research Projects
The focus of our research has been 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. Recently 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. desulfurization/steam reforming of light hydrocarbons for fuel cell hydrogen production.
Index
Recent topics include:
  1. produced high-purity hydrogen by anaerobic digestion of waste grycerol from biodiesel production (in collaboration with Umetsu Lab at Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine),

  2. develpoed effective catalysts for low temperature supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of biomas (in collaboration with Nisso Engineering, Co. Ltd. project assessment),

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

  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 (After 2000)
  1. [Invited Lecture] Ruthenium Nanometal Catalysts on High-surface-area Materials: Surface Structure-reactivity Relations in Supercritical Water Gasification of Biomass. [The 3rd International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Chennai, February, 2015)]
  2. [Invited Lecture] Catalytic Hydrothermal Energy Conversion of Biomass. [Peradeniya University International Research Sessions (iPURSE) (Kandy, July, 2014)]
  3. [Keynote Lecture] Hydrothermal Conversion of Biomass to Fuels and Chemicals. [3rd International Conference on Renewable Energy: Generation and Applications (Al Ain, March, 2014)]
  4. [Invited Lecture] Hydrothermal Gasification of Ethanol Fermentation Stillage: Catalysts and their Reaction Characteristics. [First International Conference on Emerging Advanced Nanomaterials (Brisbane, October, 2012)]
  5. [Invited Talk] Molecular Imaging of Chemical Species Adsorbed on Solid Surfaces by Scanning Probe Microscopy. [Indian Vacuum Society Symposium on Thin Films: Science and Technology. (Mumbai, November, 2011)]
  6. [Invited Lecture] Surface Analysis using Scanning Probe Microscopy. [Tohoku Region Catalysis Society Lecture Meeting (Sendai, December 2007)]
  7. [Invited Paper] Recent Biogas Productions and Applications in Japan. [3rd International Symposium on New and Renewable Energy (Jeonju, November 2006)]
  8. [Invited Lecture] Observation of Light absorption Sites on Titanium Oxide Surface by Photoexcited STM. [Seminar on Precision Surface and Photocatalysts (Nagoya, September 2005)]
  9. [Invited Lecture] Interactions between Catalyst Surfaces and Light observed by STM:TiO2(110). [The 90th Catalysis Society of Japan Meeting (Hamamatsu, September 2002)]
  10. [Plenary Lecture] Application of Scanning Probe Microscopy to Catalyst Research: A Few Examples.@ [The Workshop of Molecular Design and Simulation (Changsha, June 2002)]
  11. [Invited Paper] Atoms and Molecules on Zeolite Surfaces.@ [The 8th International Colloquium on Scanning Probe Microscopy and Asian SPM (3) (Atagawa, December 2000)]
  12. [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)]
Index
Often-cited Papers
(source: Science Citation Index - as of December, 2013)
  1. Design and Preparation of Impregnated Catalysts. [Catal. Rev. -Sci. Eng., 27 (1985) 341-372] [SCI = 88]
  2. Concentration Profiles in Impregnation of Porous Catalysts: Nickel on Alumina. [J. Catal., 63 (1980) 35-52] [SCI = 68]
  3. High-resolution Imaging of Organic Monolayers using Noncontact AFM. [Appl. Surf. Sci., 157 (2000) 244-250] [SCI = 41]
  4. Structure and Catalytic Activity of Sb Oxide Highly Dispersed on SnO2 for Propene Oxidation. [J. Catal., 109 (1988) 423-432] [SCI = 32]
  5. Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy Study of Conjugated Polymer/fullerene Organic Solar Cells.@[Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 44 (2005) 5370-5373] [SCI = 29]
  6. Structure of Platinum Ultrafine particles in Pt/C Catalyst Observed by STM. [J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 8 (1990) 608-609] [SCI = 28]
  7. 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) 15198-15201] [SCI = 27]
  8. Atomic Force Microscopy Images of Natural Zeolite Surfaces Observed under Ambient Conditions.@[Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 33 (1994) 3761-3763] [SCI = 23]
  9. Supported Metal Model Catalyst Surfaces Examined by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. [J. Microscop., 152 (1988) 197-203] [SCI = 23]
  10. X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Studies of Unsupported and Supported Rhenium using Argon-ion Bombardment. [J. Chem. Soc., Faraday Trans. 2, 79 (1983) 1719-1728] [SCI = 23]
  11. 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]
  12. Observation from Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of a Striped Phase for Octanethiol Adsorbed on Au(111) from Solution. [Langmuir, 24 (2008) 9937-9940] [SCI = 20]
Average citations for the entire papers: 9.3 (h-Index: 16, i10-index: 23)

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