The University of Osaka · Engineering
Professor Takahiro Kozawa's research lab specializes in materials synthesis and processing, with a focus on mechanochemistry, solid-state reactions, and advanced functional materials for energy and environmental applications. The lab develops innovative, low-temperature, and scalable methods—such as wet ball milling, water vapor-assisted calcination, and mechanochemical activation—to design and fabricate nanostructured materials with tailored morphologies and enhanced functionalities. Key research directions include the synthesis of high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the safe transformation of hazardous wastes (e.g., asbestos), and the stabilization of amorphous solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries through controlled crystallization. The lab emphasizes sustainable materials processing by minimizing energy consumption and enabling the use of inexpensive raw materials.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Mechanochemical reactions can be induced in a solution by the collision of balls to produce high-temperature and high-pressure zones, with the reactions occurring through a dissolution-precipitation mechanism due to a change in solubility. However, only a fraction of the impact energy contributes to the mechanochemical reactions, while the rest is mainly consumed by the wear of balls and the heat generation. To clarify whether the normal or tangential component of collisions makes a larger contr
A mechanical route using a grinding apparatus such as a planetary ball mill is a simple and scalable method to produce powder materials. However, the control of the particle shapes is difficult. In this paper, we report a wet mechanical process in water to synthesize NH<sub>4</sub>MnPO<sub>4</sub>·H<sub>2</sub>O (AmMnP) with various shapes (plates, flakes, rods, and nanoparticles). This process involves planetary ball milling of inexpensive raw materials (NH<sub>4</sub>H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub
A simple thermal decomposition technique to convert asbestos-containing wastes (ACWs) into non-asbestos products has been developed by heating ACWs in a water vapor atmosphere. It was confirmed that cement slates containing 18 mass % chrysotile were converted into non-asbestos products by the thermal treatment in a water vapor atmosphere at 800°C for 2 h. In contrast, the thermal treatments in air required temperatures as high as 900°C to convert the cement slates into non-asbestos products. It
Manganese oxide (Mn<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>) has garnered substantial attention as a low-cost, environment-friendly anode material. It undergoes a conversion reaction involving the formation of Li<sub>2</sub>O and metallic Mn to provide high-energy Li-ion batteries. However, its low electrical conductivity and significant volume change reduce its capacity during the initial lithiation/delithiation, hindering its practical application. To improve the cycle performance, we propose a new composite
Solid-state reaction between BaCO3 and ZrO2 is the simplest method to prepare BaZrO3, which is an important refractory structural material with a very high melting point and a low chemical reactivity. However, since the solid-state formation of the BaZrO3 phase requires high calcination temperature, this method typically produces larger particles unsuitable for the sintering process than the solution methods. In this study, we investigated the reaction behavior between very fine ZrO2 (70 nm) and
Bulk-type all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) consisting of composite electrodes of homogeneously mixed fine particles of both active materials and solid electrolytes (SEs) exhibit a high safety, high energy density, and long cycle life. SE nanoparticles are required for the construction of ion-conducting pathways as a response to the particle size reduction of active materials; however, simple and low-cost milling processes for producing nanoparticles cause a collapse in the crystal structure and
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