Published papers

Organic cathodes for lithium-ion batteries are one of the most promising and significant materials toward a sustainable society. The molecular design is a key to achieve superior performances beyond inorganic cathodes. The present work shows predictors of the reaction potential, specific capacity, and ideal energy density for organic cathodes. Straightforward prediction models of the performance were constructed by a combination of machine learning and chemical insight, namely, sparse modeling for small data (SpM-S), on a small data set as training data found in the literature. The prediction accuracy was validated using different literature data. The predictors can be applied to explore high-performance organic cathodes in a wide search space efficiently. Moreover, SpM-S afforded straightforward, interpretable, and generalizable prediction models compared to other machine-learning algorithms. The small-data-driven methodology can be applied for further exploration of materials, enhancement of performances, and optimization of processes.

The 3d transition metal oxides with a spinel structure are among the most promising cathode materials for magnesium batteries. In this study, we investigated the reaction mechanism of magnesium ion insertion for magnesium spinel oxides, MgMn2O4, by electrochemical measurements, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) with Rietveld analysis. Open-circuit-potential and XAS measurements showed that Mg2+ insertion into MgMn2O4 does not proceed via a simple two-phase coexistence reaction between the spinel and rock-salt phases. Synchrotron XRD measurements showed that Mg2+ insertion into MgMn2O4 involves crystal structural changes in three stages. In the early stage of the Mg2+ insertion process (0 < x < 0.2), Mg2+ is inserted into the spinel (MgMn2O4) phase and rock-salt (Mg1.2Mn2O4) phases, which are included in the pristine samples, without significant volume changes. In the middle stage of the Mg2+ insertion process (0.2 < x < 0.4), Mg2+ is inserted into the Mg1+αMn2O4 spinel phase and the Mg2-βMn2O4 rock-salt phases with a large volume change. In the last stage of Mg2+ insertion process (0.4 < x < 0.56), Mg2+ insertion proceeds via a two-phase coexistence reaction between Mg1.4Mn2O4 spinel and Mg1.6Mn2O4 rock-salt phases without Mg content changes in either phase. The phase transition from the Mg1+αMn2O4 spinel phase to the Mg2-βMn2O4 rock-salt phase with a large volume change resulted in significant polarization during the Mg2+ insertion process. Suppressing the phase transition, accompanied by a large volume change, is important in designing a spinel oxide cathode with a high rate performance.

Spinel-type MgMn2O4, prepared by a propylene-oxide-driven sol-gel method, has a high surface area and structured bimodal macro- and mesopores, and exhibits good electrochemical properties as a cathode active material for rechargeable magnesium batteries. However, because of its hydrophilicity and significant water adsorption properties, macroscopic aggregates are formed in composite slurry-coated cathodes when 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is used as a non-aqueous solvent. Functionalising the surface with phenylphosphonate groups was found to be an easy and effective technique to render the structured MgMn2O4hydrophobic and suppress aggregate formation in NMP-based slurries. This surface functionalisation also reduced side reactions during charging, while maintaining the discharge capacity, and significantly improved the coulombic efficiency. Uniform slurry-coated cathodes with active material fractions as high as 93 wt% can be produced on Al foils by this technique employing carbon nanotubes as an electrically conductive support. A coin-type full cell consisting of this slurry-coated cathode and a magnesium alloy anode delivered an initial discharge capacity of ∼100 mA h g−1at 25 °C.

Titania is a competent photocatalyst widely used in environmental purification. Unfortunately, its photocatalytic ability to generate hydrogen by water decomposition without a co-catalyst is poor. Here, an efficient enhancement of noble-metal-free photocatalytic activity was studied on the basis of titania prepared in a supermicroporous silica template using TiCl3 aqueous solution as a precursor. The amount of evolved hydrogen increased sharply by 37 times as the concentration of TiCl3 was increased from 5 to 10 wt%. The existence of two species of titania was determined by XAFS analysis at concentrations of 10 wt% or greater. It is suggested that titania quantum dots inside the supermicropores and titania particles outside the supermicropores were prepared at the optimum precursor concentration and the resultant composite band structures suppressed electron–hole recombination.

Fluorescent pyrone derivatives were extracted from the pyrolitic product of citric acid confined in supermicroporous silicas (SMPSs). We utilized the tiny spaces of SMPSs to produce fluorescent molecules as small fragments of carbogenic dots. We characterized their optical properties and investigated their structual information. The obtained molecule was determined as a pyrone derivative. The isolated product showed similar optical properties to those of reported carbogenic dots. Therefore, we suggest that the pyrone structure is the key fragment structure of carbogenic dots.

Quantitative detection of external stimuli, such as light, heat, and force, is an important challenge for sensing materials. Near-infrared (NIR) light is used in a variety of fields, such as biological, physical, medical, and engineering applications. Visualization and quantitative detection of invisible NIR are significant for its safe use. Here we fabricate a paper-based device coated with polypyrrole (PPy) and layered polydiacetylene (PDA). As PPy induces evolution of heat with irradiation of NIR, the effective conjugation length of the layered PDA is changed by the dynamic structure changed through the heat conduction. The visible color change from blue to red proceeds on the paper device. The red-color intensity has a relationship with the irradiation power of NIR. These facts suggest that the irradiation time and power of NIR are quantified by the color. Moreover, the results indicate that layered PDA can be applied to the quantification of external stimuli through conversion from the desired stimulus to the detectable one.

A variety of organic and inorganic layered compounds are exfoliated into 2D nanomaterials in liquid phase. Improvement of exfoliation yield is a significant challenge for further applications of 2D nanomaterials. However, yield of transition-metal-oxide nanosheets is not so high, such as around 5% for 240 h and 15% for 120 h, in previous exfoliation methods. Here we show a new exfoliation approach to high-yield synthesis of nanosheets. A layered composite of cobalt hydroxide and guest quinone derivative was exfoliated into nanosheets through redox reactions of the interlayer guests in the yield 1657% for 1 h under mild conditions. The redox reactions of the guest molecules on the layer facilitate efficient exfoliation through improvement of the affinity between the guest and dispersion medium. The present redox-mediated exfoliation approach can be applied to efficient synthesis of a variety of 2D nanomaterials from layered composites.

The adequate manipulation of nanometer-scale building blocks using dispersion systems is regarded as a fundamental technique to fabricate elaborate microstructures. Although a liquid flow with evaporation is generally regarded as an essential factor for the self-assembly of floating blocks, experimental evidence has not been sufficient to clarify the importance of the flow in the dispersion systems. In the present study, 2D nematic layers of sterically stabilized nanoscale calcite rods were achieved in a millimeter-scale region on a solid substrate via the very slow recession of an organic dispersion with evaporation. 2D random arrays of the nanorods were obtained via recession of the liquid in the same system without evaporation. When the nanorods were not sterically stabilized, 3D random arrays were formed even with evaporation. We demonstrated that the evaporation-driven flow of sterically stabilized nanorods to a confined space at the air-liquid-solid interface is essential for the formation of 2D nematic structures on a substrate.

2D materials exhibit emergent properties originating from their characteristic nanostructures. In general, monolayered and few-layered nanosheets are obtained by exfoliation of the precursor layered materials. However, lateral-size distribution of the nanosheets is not easily controlled through the exfoliation because of the unpredictable down-sizing processes. The present work shows selective syntheses of transition-metal-oxide nanosheets with the monodisperse and polydisperse lateral sizes by the assistance of machine learning on small experimental data. The precursor layered composites of host transition-metal oxides and interlayer organic guests are exfoliated into the surface-modified nanosheets in organic dispersion media. A prediction model of the size distribution is constructed by sparse modeling, a method of machine learning, on the experimental data. The host-guest-medium combinations achieving the monodisperse and polydisperse lateral sizes are recommended by the prediction model. Therefore, the nanosheets with the controlled lateral-size distribution are selectively obtained in a limited number of the experiments. Moreover, self-assembly of the polydispersed nanosheets forms the homogeneous thin film exhibiting interference color. The prediction model and its construction method can be applied to the other 2D materials. Moreover, the present work implies that sparse modeling is an effective approach for small-data-driven materials science.

Emergence of thermoresponsive and reversible color changes at low temperature is a challenging target. In general, it is not easy to induce sufficient dynamic motion of rigid molecules including chromophore at a lower temperature. The present work shows unusually low-temperature color-change properties originating from the dynamic motion of rigid conjugated polymer in solid state. The layered composites of polydiacetylene (PDA) and guest l-arginine (L-Arg) (PDA-(L-Arg)) exhibit temperature-responsive gradual color changes with reversibility in the range of 123–333 K in solid crystalline state. The dynamic properties are induced by gradual and reversible distortion of the π-conjugated main chain in response to temperature. The tuned flexibility of the layered structure facilitates motion of the rigid π-conjugated molecule at low temperature. The PDA-(L-Arg)-coated substrates are applied to visualization and quantification of 2D and 3D temperature distributions generated by cooling with liquid nitrogen. These thermographic devices afford to image lower temperature range than typical infrared thermography. The present work indicates potentials of layered architectures with tunable flexibility for emergence of dynamic properties.

Spinel-type MgMn2O4 nanoplates ∼10 nm thick were prepared as a positive electrode for magnesium rechargeable batteries by the transformation of metal hydroxide nanoplates. Homogeneous coating with a vanadate layer thinner than 3 nm was achieved on the spinel oxide nanoplates via coverage of the precursor and subsequent mild calcination. We found that the spinel oxide nanoplates with the homogeneous coating exhibit improved electrochemical properties, such as discharge potential, capacity, and cyclability, due to the enhanced insertion and extraction of magnesium ions and suppressed decomposition of electrolytes. The nanometric platy morphology of the spinel oxide and the vanadate coating act synergistically for the improvement of the electrochemical performance.

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is regarded as an important precursor of biogenic crystal phases having specific shapes and mechanical properties. In the present work, calcite that was produced from ACC nanoparticles containing aspartic acid was characterized by Raman scattering spectroscopy and nanoindentation techniques. The tensile strain of the calcite lattice that was estimated from the vibrational spectroscopy varied with the organic content and the mild calcination condition of ACC nanoparticles. Calcite was found to be hardened by the presence of residual organic components inside the crystal lattice. On the other hand, the modulus of calcite decreased as the content of external organic components increased. Here, the mechanical properties of the calcite framework are successfully tuned by the crystallization of the specific amorphous phases containing organic molecules. The mechanical modulation of calcite can be associated with lattice expansion by using vibrational spectroscopy. This journal is

A structured spinel oxide as a positive-electrode active material for magnesium rechargeable batteries was produced using a propylene-oxide-driven sol–gel method and subsequent vanadium oxide coating. Porous frameworks consisting of MgMn2O4 nanoparticles having diameters of ∼10 nm exhibited a large specific surface area of ∼150 m2 g−1 and interconnected bimodal pores distributed in the micrometer (1–10 μm) and nanometer (10–100 nm) regions. Hierarchical conduction paths constructed by mixing the porous frameworks with carbon nanoparticles reduced the overpotential for the insertion and extraction of magnesium ions and increased the redox capacity in an ionic-liquid electrolyte system. Moreover, the surface coating of vanadium oxide on the spinel oxide nanoparticles enhanced the extraction of magnesium ions and suppressed the decomposition of the electrolyte. The electrochemical properties, such as the capacities, rate capabilities, and cyclabilities, of the positive electrodes were largely improved by the structured spinel oxide frameworks.

Supermicroporous silicas having micropores 1-2 nm in diameter were miniaturized to 30-40 nm in diameter using a combination of binary organic agents: cationic surfactant as a porogen and polyethylene glycol as a growth suppressor in a concentrated system. The miniaturized nanograins of the porous silica were effective as a porous and transparent matrix for WO 3 quantum dots that exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Calcite nanorods ∼50 nm wide are thermally separated into nanoblocks. The fragmentation is ascribed to the ion diffusion on metastable crystal surfaces at temperatures (∼400 °C) much lower than the melting point. The presence of water molecules enhances the surface diffusion and induces deformation of the nanorods even at ∼60 °C.

Micrometre-thick calcareous shells consisting of c-axis-oriented calcite nanorods are produced on an organic sheet as foraminiferal tests and isopod cornea cuticles. Here, we produced mineral films similar to biogenic calcareous shells on a self-standing polymer sheet in a supersaturated solution system by multistep crystal growth with the adjustment of the concentration ratio of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as a soluble controlling agent. In the initial stage, selective high-density nucleation was achieved at a relatively low PAA to calcium ion ratio (R = 1.0-1.2) to form of a calcite seed layer on the surface of conventional polyvinyl alcohol. Calcite nanorods elongated in the c direction were then grown perpendicularly to the seed layer in the progressive stages at a relatively high PAA ratio (R = 1.5-2.0). The artificial mineral films consisting of c-axis-oriented nanorods are suggested to exhibit mechanical properties similar to those of biogenic calcareous shells.

The stimuli-responsive color-changing properties of functional polymers are applied to the development of sensing and imaging devices. Tuning the stimuli responsivity is required for a wide range of applications. Polydiacetylene (PDA) derivatives show color changes with the application of external stimuli, such as heat and mechanical stress. Our group has focused on the layered crystal structure of PDA and its intercalation chemistry. The original layered PDA shows an irreversible color transition from blue to red upon heating to the threshold temperature. Here, we found that alkyldiamine-intercalated PDA possessed different color-changing properties, such as a higher color transition temperature and a temperature-dependent and reversible color change, than the original PDA. As the alkyl-chain length increased, the color-changing behavior gradually converted from the irreversible color transition type to the reversible temperature-dependent one. Since the intercalated diamine had a stabilizing effect on the layered structure, the stimuli responsivity varied according to the type of diamine. The results suggest that the stimuli-responsive color-changing properties of layered PDA can be finely and systematically tuned by the intercalation of organic guests.

The optical properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluorophores, such as pyrene and perylene, are controlled by confined spaces of meso- and supermicropores in a silica matrix. The quantum yield of fluorescence from monodispersed pyrene and perylene increases with limitation of the excimer formation in 1 nm supermicropores. When the pore diameter is close to the molecular size, solid-state fluorescence having a high quantum yield is achieved via the fluorophores in the confined spaces by suppressing the aggregation, the interaction with charge-transfer sites and the stabilization of the excited state.

Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society. The nanometer-scale bending structure in the enamel-dentin interfacial region of bovine teeth was clarified using detailed electron micrographs. We found that enamel prisms of width 5-10 μm in the enamel are regarded as a bundle of nanometer-scale hydroxyapatite (HA) fibers of width 20-30 nm that are connected to the enamel-dentin interface. The radial arrangements of HA fibers elongated in the c-axis were formed on the dentin surface at the boundary. The orientation adjustment of the HA fibers was observed through stepwise bending with a gradual change of the c direction in the ordered parallel array of the enamel prisms. Our observation suggests that the crystallographic ordering in the enamel layer originates from the growth-induced orientation of HA crystals in the interfacial region.

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. Mesocrystals of MgCo 2 O 4 spinel oxide exhibiting porous and single-crystalline structures were synthesized by the reaction of magnesium ions with calcite-type CoCO 3 mesocrystal precursors grown in micrometer-sized agar gels. The mesocrystals consisted of single-crystalline porous grains measuring 200–300 nm in diameter with iso-oriented subunits of approximately 10 nm. The single-crystalline porous framework structure of the MgCo 2 O 4 mesocrystals enhanced the discharge capacity and positively shifted the discharge potential compared with MgCo 2 O 4 nanoparticles prepared by the inverse co-precipitation method. These enhancements were attributed to a combination of the high specific surface areas of the mesocrystals and the high connectivity of the magnesium ion diffusion paths in the solid-phase.