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Research
Photochemical reactions, which follow a different reaction pathway compared to temperature-driven reactions, have a particular advantage, such as shorter reaction time, production of fewer side products, etc. Furthermore, it often allows the synthesis of materials that are inaccessible with thermal reactions. However, photochemical reactions are not suitable for large-scale reactions due to the limited length of light penetration. On the other hand, flow chemistry, which involves a reaction in a continuous stream, is a well-established technique for large-scale production. We envisioned that the combination of photochemical reactions and continuous flow reactions offers multiple advantages. We are investigating a new synthetic approach with photo-flow reactions.
Polymerization in Photo-Flow Reactors
Graphene and its derivatives (graphene nanoribbon, carbon nanotube, etc.) are excellent materials employed in a wide range of applications. Conjugated ladder-type materials, in which their building blocks are connected by two or more strands of bonds are subunits of graphenic structures. They have great thermal, chemical, and mechanical stability and their coplanar backbone promises excellent electronic and optical properties. However, they have extremly low solubility in common organic solutions, making the synthesis of defect-free structures and solution-process difficult. We want to solve challenges in the synthesis and process of conjugated ladder-type materials with organic synthesis.
Graphenic structure synthesis
In today's vehicles, roughly 10,000 components of polymer materials (39 types of polymers) are used. However, due to the differences in characteristics, these parts used in traditional gas automobiles (combustion engine) cannot be immediately transferred to electric vehicles (EVs) or other next-generation vehicles. Because of their higher instant maximum torque and bigger gross weight, EVs, for example, require more durable tires. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new technologies and advanced functional polymers for EVs, Fuel-cell EVs, autonomous vehicles, and 5G connectivity. We are working on the synthesis of new functional polymers for next-generation vehicles.
Functional Polymers in Automotive applications
The world is currently making all-around efforts to achieve global carbon neutrality. Our group is interested in the use of biomass to prepare functional polymers and additives. Although bio-degradable polymers have attracted attention, their weak chemical and mechanical properties hamper industrial applications. In addition, it is difficult to have elastic properties with bio-degradable polymers, except natural rubber with peroxide cross-linking. In order to improve the properties of biomass-based polymers, we approach mixing them with high-performance polymers to produce environmentally benign functional polymers. Furthermore, we are developing novel biomass-based additives to maximize the compatibility of two different polymers and their mechanical properties.
Eco-friendly functional polymers/Additives
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