Kyoto University · Chemistry
Professor Taketoshi Minato's research lab specializes in the atomic-scale understanding of functional materials, with a focus on defect engineering, interfacial phenomena, and charge-lattice interactions in oxides and battery materials. The lab combines advanced in situ characterization techniques—such as in situ neutron reflectivity, frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)—with theoretical simulations to explore how atomic-level defects and interfacial structures govern physical and electrochemical properties. Current research directions include the design of next-generation batteries (e.g., fluoride shuttle batteries and lithium-ion batteries), the manipulation of surface hydrogen and oxygen vacancies in metal oxides, and the integration of nanocatalysts like gold clusters with defective titania. The lab aims to bridge fundamental surface science with practical applications in energy conversion and storage.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Introducing a charge into a solid such as a metal oxide through chemical, electrical, or optical means can dramatically change its chemical or physical properties. To minimize its free energy, a lattice will distort in a material specific way to accommodate (screen) the Coulomb and exchange interactions presented by the excess charge. The carrier-lattice correlation in response to these interactions defines the spatial extent of the perturbing charge and can impart extraordinary physical and che
Clarification of the interaction between the electrode and the electrolyte is crucial for further improvement of the performance of lithium-ion batteries. We have investigated the structural change at the interface between the surface of a 104-oriented epitaxial thin film of LiCoO2 (LiCoO2(104)), which is one of the stable surfaces of LiCoO2, and an electrolyte prepared using a carbonate solvent (1 M LiClO4 in ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate) by in situ neutron reflectivity measurement
Fluoride shuttle battery (FSB) is a promising next-generation battery candidate. In the FSB, metal fluoride and organic solvent containing supporting electrolyte salt and anion acceptor were used as active material and electrolyte. In this study, using bis[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl] ether (tetraglyme: G4) containing cesium fluoride (CsF; 0.45 mol dm–3 or saturated) and triphenylboroxine (TPhBX; 0.50 mol dm–3) as electrolyte (CsF(0.45)–TPhBX(0.50)–G4 and CsF(sat.)–TPhBX(0.50)–G4), the electrochemi
The functionality of solid materials is defined by the type and ordering of the constituent atoms. By introducing defects that perturb the ordered structure, new functionality is created within the solid material. Atomic defects in titanium dioxide, such as oxygen vacancies, atomic hydrogen, and interstitial Ti, typically create new functionality. However, the fundamental physical properties of atomic defects in TiO2 are not fully understood and still remain controversial. In this account, the p
Frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) was employed to study molecular structures of rubrene single crystals in ultrahigh vacuum. Molecularly flat and extraordinarily wide terraces were extended over the width of more than a few micrometers with monomolecular steps. Molecular packing arrangements and internal structures were revealed by FM-AFM. The unit cell determined by FM-AFM was consistent with the lattice parameters of bulk crystal within the experimental error, suggesting th
We investigated the reaction mechanism of the desorption of single hydrogen from a titanium dioxide surface excited by the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Analysis of the desorption yield, in combination with theoretical calculations, indicates the crucial role played by the applied electric field. Instead of facilitating desorption by reducing the barrier height, the applied electric field causes a reduction in the barrier width, which, when coupled with the electron excitation in
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