Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences
Tohoku University

Assistant Professor Fumihiro Kaneda has received “2021 OSA Outstanding Reviewer.” This award is given annually by The Optical Society (OSA) to commend the top reviewers for their outstanding peer review efforts over the past year.   Date: August 2020 Given to: Assistant Professor Fumihiro Kaneda in FRIS and RIEC Prize: 2021 OSA Outstanding Reviewer Given for: top reviewers for their outstanding peer review efforts to OSA journals Given by: The Optical Society (OSA) Reference: https://www.osapublishing.org/reviewer/?page=outstanding_reviewers

Magnesium rechargeable batteries (MRBs), where high-capacity Mg metal is used as the anode material, are promising candidates for next-generation batteries due to their energy density, safety, and cost. However, the lack of high-performance cathode materials impedes their development.   Like their lithium-ion counterparts, transition metal oxides are the staple cathode materials in MRBs. Yet the slow diffusion of Mg ions inside the oxides poses a serious problem. To overcome this, some researchers have explored sulfur-based materials. But sulfur-based cathodes for MRBs have severe limitations: low electronic conductivity, sluggish Mg diffusion in solid Mg-S compounds, and dissolubility of polysulfides into electrolytes, which results in low-rate capability and poor cyclability.   Now, a research team that included Tohoku University's Dr. Shimokawa and Professor Ichitsubo has developed liquid-sulfur/sulfide composite cathodes enabling high-rate magnesium batteries. Their paper has been published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A.   The liquid-sulfur/sulfide composite materials can be spontaneously fabricated by electrochemically oxidizing metal sulfides, such as iron sulfide, in an ionic liquid electrolyte at 150. The composite material showed high performance in capacity, potential, cyclability, and rate capability.   The researchers achieved the discharge capacity of ~900 mAh/g at a high current density of 1246 mA/g based on the mass of active sulfur. In addition, they revealed that the discharge potential was enhanced by utilizing non-equilibrium sulfur formed by fast charging processes.   This material allowed for a stable cathode performance at 150 for more than 50 cycles. Such a high cyclability could be attributed to the following points: high structural reversibility of the liquid state active material, low solubility of polysulfides into the ionic liquid electrolyte, and high utilization ratio of sulfur due to its adhesion to conductive sulfide particles that form a porous morphology during the synthesis of the composite materials.   Schematic illustration showing the concept of this work. Liquid-sulfur/sulfide composite materials fabricated by electrochemical oxidation of metal sulfides can work as high-performance cathode materials for magnesium rechargeable batteries. (Credit: Kohei Shimokawa)   Despite the researchers' progress, several problems remain. "We need electrolytes that are compatible with both the cathode and anode materials because the ionic liquid used in this work passivates the Mg-metal anode," said Shimokawa. "In the future, it is important to develop new electrochemically stable electrolytes to make MRBs more practical for widespread use."   Although MRBs are still in the development stage, the research team is hopeful their work provides a new way to utilize liquid sulfur as high-rate cathode materials for MRBs. "This would boost the improvement of sulfur-based materials for achieving high-performance next-generation batteries," added Shimokawa. Publication Details Kohei Shimokawa, Takuya Furuhashi, Tomoya Kawaguchi, Won-Young Park, Takeshi Wada, Hajime Matsumoto, Hidemi Kato, Tetsu Ichitsubo Journal of Materials Chemistry A "Electrochemically Synthesized Liquid-Sulfur/Sulfide Composite Materials for High-Rate Magnesium Battery Cathodes" DOI: 10.1039/d1ta03464b https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ta03464b Press Release: Tohoku University https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/high_rate_magnesium_rechargeable_batteries.html Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University http://www.imr.tohoku.ac.jp/en/news/results/detail---id-1349.html

A microphysiological system (MPS), also known as an organ-on-a-chip, is a 3D organ construct using human cells that help reveal how organs respond to drugs and environmental stimuli. Now, Tohoku University researchers have developed a new analytical method that visualizes cell functions in MPS using scanning probe microscopy (SPM).   SPM differs from optical microscopy since it employs fine probe scanning over a sample surface and then exploits the local interactions between the probe and the surface. The biggest advantage of SPM over conventional microscopy is that physical and chemical conditions can be acquired rapidly and as a high-resolution image.   In this study, SPMs evaluated a vascular model (vasculature-on-a-chip) by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM). Using these SPMs, the researchers quantified the permeability and topographical information of the vasculature-on-a-chip. "MPS shows potential to recapitulate the physiology and functions of their counterparts in the human body. Most research on this topic has focused on the construction of biomimetic organ models. Today, there is an increasing interest in developing sensing systems for MPS" said first author Yuji Nashimoto at Tohoku University.   Some have touted electrochemical sensors to monitor MPS. However, most electrochemical sensors cannot acquire the spatial information of cell functions in MPS because they have only one sensor per one analyte. In contrast, SPM provides spatial information about cell functions rapidly.   "Our research group has developed various electrochemical imaging tools, SPMs and electrochemical arrays," explained corresponding author Hitoshi Shiku. Endothelial functions (permeability and topography) in a microphysiological system (MPS) are electrochemically visualized using scanning probe microscopies (SPMs). The analytical system is a new means to evaluate MPS or organ-on-a-chip (OoC). Publication Details Yuji Nashimoto, Minori Abe, Ryota Fujii, Noriko Taira, Hiroki Ida, Yasufumi Takahashi, Kosuke Ino, Javier Ramon Azcon, Hitoshi Shiku Advanced Healthcare Materials "Topography and Permeability Analyses of Vasculature-on-a-Chip using Scanning Probe Microscopies" DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202101186 https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202101186 Press Release: Tohoku University https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/new_imaging_tool_microphysiological_system.html

[Venue] ONLINE – Zoom   The 24th FRIS Seminar / TI-FRIS Lecture Course on Academic Impact “What is Research Impact? / Creating a High Research Impact Plan” at 10:00-15:00 on 23rd Aug. 2021 To register: https://forms.gle/YYR1Lbr7rdxo3BYc7 Deadline for registration: 12:00(noon) on 17th Aug. 2021   Lecturer: Dr. Rintaro OHNO, Senior Assistant Professor, Strategic Planning Office, Tohoku University Lecture title:    “What is Research Impact?” (for Introductory Session)   “Creating a High Research Impact Plan” (for Practical Session) Language: English (Japanese is also partially used.)   Contents of the lecture: [Introductory Session] How research impact is perceived from the perspective of university management is explained along with various data. [Practical Session] We will discuss what measures can be taken in the process of conducting academic research to make it a high impact. Before the lecture, participants will be presented with a specific theme of the discussion and asked to make preliminary considerations.   Contact: Dr. Suzuki or Dr. Fujiwara, research administrators of FRIS ura*fris.tohoku.ac.jp (please replace * with @.)  

Downsizing particles into the extreme of single atoms can maximize the utilization efficiency of elements and bring about new chemical properties. For this reason, catalysts in the form of single atoms, termed single-atom catalysts, have been widely explored in recent years to improve the efficiency and selectivity of catalytic reactions.   A joint team consisting of assistant professor Jiuhui Han at FRIS, Professor Pan Liu at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China), and Professor Mingwei Chen at Johns Hopkins University (US) has developed a single-atom catalyst of 3D nanoporous graphene co-anchored with nickel and copper atoms. Due to the synergistic effect of the Cu and Ni single atoms in a nitrogen-doped graphene matrix, this material exhibits exceptional catalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The rechargeable Zinc-air batteries using this single-atom catalyst as the air electrode show excellent energy efficiency, large power density, and high cycling stability. This study may pave an efficient avenue of designing highly durable single-atom ORR catalysts for metal-air batteries. This work was published in Nanoscale on June 28, 2021. Publication Details Yongtai Cheng, Haofei Wu, Jiuhui Han, Siying Zhong, Senhe Huang, Shufen Chu, Shuangxi Song, Kolan Madhav Reddy, Xiaodong Wang, Shao-Yi Wu, Xiaodong Zhuang, Isaac Johnson, Pan Liu, and Mingwei Chen. “Atomic Ni and Cu co-anchored 3D nanoporous graphene as an efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalyst for zinc-air batteries”, Nanosclae, 2021, doi: 10.1039/D1NR01612A https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2021/NR/D1NR01612A#!divAbstract

The 5th FRIS-TFC Collaboration Event Departing the Ivory Tower: A workshop on Entrepreneurial Research How to maximize the impact of my research? How to translate the lab work into the market? What does academic entrepreneurship mean? Where should I start if I want to venture out in commercializing my research?    These questions, among others, are pondered by many researchers and academics, especially the young minds who are eager to move their lab technologies into the market.  This workshop is intended to showcase how research can transition from a purely academic endeavour to applications in the real world. Researchers and professionals will introduce their work and describe their career experiences. In addition, it aims to help students and young researchers to plan their career, introduce options for transitioning from academia to industry (and vice versa), and also how to connect their lab research with impactful applications.   *This event will be held mostly in English and partially in Japanese.   Date: July 15, 2021 16:00 – 18:00 (JST) Venue: TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity / Online (Zoom)　(Capacity: 500) Registration deadline : Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 16:00 (JST) https://forms.gle/kzHmLEfjJb9jEkRY8   Invited Speakers： Fabien Sorin 　(Associate Professor, Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Shigeyoshi Yoshida 　(Deputy Director / Specially Appointed Professor, Material Solutions Center, Tohoku University)* This talk will be given in Japanese.   Hosted by: Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Organization for Research Promotion, Tohoku University Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University   More details on :  The 5th FRIS-TFC Joint Symposium Web   Contact : Email: tfc_webinar1*grp.tohoku.ac.jp (change * to @)

Supermassive black holes (SMBH) occupy the center of galaxies, with masses ranging from one million to 10 billion solar masses. Some SMBHs are in a bright phase called active galactic nuclei (AGN).   AGNs will eventually burn out since there is a maximum mass limit for SMBHs; scientists have long since pondered when that will be.   Tohoku University's Kohei Ichikawa and his research group may have discovered an AGN towards the end of its life span by accident after catching an AGN signal from the Arp 187 galaxy.   Through observing the radio images in the galaxy using two astronomy observatories – the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Very Large Array (VLA) – they found a jet lobe, a hallmark sign of AGN.   However, they noticed no signal from the nucleus, indicating the AGN might indicate the AGN activity might be already silent.   Upon further analysis of the multi-wavelength data, they found all the small scale AGN indicators to be silent, while the large-scale ones were bright. This is because the AGN has recently been quenched within the last 3,000 years.   Once an AGN dies off, smaller-scale AGN features become faint because further photon supplies also shut down. But the large scale ionized gas region is still visible since it takes about 3000 years for photons to arrive at the region's edge. Observing past AGN activity is known as light echoing.   "We used the NASA NuSTAR X-ray satellite, the best tool to observe current AGN activity," said Ichikawa. "It enables non-detection, so we were able to discover that the nucleus is completely dead."   The findings indicate AGN turn-off occurs within a 3000-year time scale, and the nucleus becomes over 1000 times fainter during the last 3000 years.   Ichikawa, who co-authored a paper for the 238 Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, says they will continue to investigate dying AGNs moving forward. "We will search for more dying AGN using a similar method as this study. We will also obtain the high spatial resolution follow-up observations to investigate the gas inflows and outflows, which might clarify how the shut-down of AGN activity has occurred.   The radio band composite image of Arp 187 obtained by VLA and ALMA telescopes (blue: VLA 4.86 GHz, green: VLA 8.44 GHz, red: ALMA 133 GHz). The image shows clear bimodal jet lobes, but the central nucleus (center of the image) is dark or non-detection. (Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Ichikawa et al.) Presentation Details: Kohei Ichikawa, Junko Ueda, Taiki Kawamuro "Serendipitous Discovery of a Dying Active Galactic Nucleus in Arp 187" 238th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society https://aas.org/meetings/aas238 Press Release: Tohoku University https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/discovery_of_dying_supermassive_black_hole.html ALMA Project, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan https://alma-telescope.jp/en/news/dyingbh-202106

Researchers have created a new nanometer-scale proximity labeling system that targets histidine residues quickly, providing a new chemical tool in protein chemical modification.   The results of their research were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on April 27, 2021.   Protein chemical modification, a technology that introduces functions into the chemical structure of proteins through irreversible strong bonds, is used for the creation of protein-based biomaterials and for drug delivery systems.   In order to carry out modification, protein labeling is necessary. Proximity labeling is one of those techniques. It labels biomolecules located close to a protein of interest which can then also be marked and analyzed.   However, there are only a few chemical reactions that can be applied to protein chemical modification methods. Moreover, there have been very few reports on the selective modification of histidine residues.   In previous electrophilic approaches, the weak nucleophilic nature of histidine residues results in low selectivity for other nucleophilic amino acids.   A gaseous inorganic chemical known as singlet oxygen helped overcome this barrier. Singlet oxygen is a highly reactive chemical species with microsecond-scale lifetimes and nanometer-scale diffusion distances.   The research group employed nucleophiles to capture the electrophilic intermediates produced by the reaction of singlet oxygen with histidine residues. The high reactivity of singlet oxygen led to a rapid and complete reaction.   Conventional histidine labeling methods take several hours to chemically modify the histidine residues of proteins. Yet, this method modified the histidine residues in only a few minutes by visible light irradiation of the photocatalyst under physiological pH conditions.   Corresponding author Dr Shinichi Sato from the Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences at Tohoku University says that their discovery has opened the door to protein analysis research using singlet oxygen. "Using conventional singlet oxygen production methods can potentially develop into a technology that clarifies unexplored intracellular signal transduction and protein-protein interactions."     Publication Details: Title: Proximity Histidine Labeling by Umpolung Strategy Using Singlet Oxygen Authors:Keita Nakane, Shinichi Sato, Tatsuya Niwa, Michihiko Tsushima, Shusuke Tomoshige, Hideki Taguchi, Minoru Ishikawa, and Hiroyuki Nakamura Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c01626   Press Release: Tohoku University

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), one of the most famous natural toxins, possesses a rare and complex chemical structure. TTX is distributed worldwide in marine animals (such as pufferfish (Fugu), snails and crabs) and terrestrial amphibians (newts and frogs). Despite the high interest in TTX, the biosynthesis remains unresolved.   Dr. Yuta Kudo, Assistant Professor of Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Dr. Mari Yotsu-Yamashita, Professor of Graduate School of Agricultural Science discovered the novel skeletal guanidino compounds from the TTX-bearing newt. The structures were elucidated via detailed chemical analysis. This work is an interdisciplinary and international collaboration with Dr. Charles T. Hanifin, Associate Professor of Department of Biology, Utah State University, Uintah Basin Campus. Based on the structures of novel compounds, the biosynthetic and shunt pathways of TTX in terrestrial organisms were proposed. These results suggests that the branched biosynthetic and shunt pathways of TTX produce the varied guanidino compounds. These results published online in “Organic Letters” on April 8, 2021.     Publication Details Yuta Kudo, Charles T. Hanifin, and Mari Yotsu-Yamashita* (*corresponding author),  "Identification of Tricyclic Guanidino Compounds from the Tetrodotoxin-Bearing Newt Taricha granulosa", Organic Letters DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c00916 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.orglett.1c00916

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration astounded the world on April 10, 2019, when it released the first-ever image of a black hole that sits at the centre of the M87 galaxy.   Polarized image of the black hole in M87. The lines mark the orientation of polarization, which is related to the magnetic field around the shadow of the black hole. Credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration   Today, the same project has revealed a new view of the black hole that displays how it looks in polarized light, offering astronomers the first chance to measure polarization--a signature of magnetic fields--this close to the edge of a black hole. "This is a key to explaining how the M87 galaxy, located 55 million light-years away, is able to launch energetic jets from its core," said associate professor Kenji Toma from Tohoku University's Frontier Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and a participant in the EHT collaboration's Computation Group. Observing the heart of the M87 galaxy required linking eight telescopes around the world to create a virtual Earth-sized telescope. The resolution is capable of measuring the length of a credit card on the surface of the moon. Optical image of M87 galaxy, East-Asia VLBA Network image of the inner jet, and EHT image of the innermost region of M87 ©︎NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team, EAVN Collaboration, EHT Collaboration Harnessing this technology, the EHT collaboration directly observed the black hole shadow and the ring of light around it, with the new polarized-light image clearly showing that the ring is magnetized. Light becomes polarized when it goes through certain filters, like the lenses of polarized sunglasses, or when it is emitted in hot, magnetized regions of space. Specifically, polarization allows astronomers to map the magnetic field lines at the inner edge of the black hole. Most matter lying near the edge of a black hole falls in. However, some surrounding particles escape moments before capture and are blown far out into space in the form of jets. Astronomers had relied on different models to understand this process, but explanations as to how jets larger than the galaxy get launched from its central region remained elusive. "The newly published polarized images are key to understanding how the magnetic field allows the black hole to 'eat' matter and launch powerful jets," says Yosuke Mizuno, coordinator of the EHT Theoretical Models and Simulations Working Group and T.D. Lee fellow at Tsung-Dao Lee Institute & School of Physics and Astronomy of Shanghai, Jiao Tong University in China. Theoretical analysis found it most probable that spiral magnetic fields that thread the black hole become strong enough to push back on the gas against gravity's pull, regulating the gas fall and the jet ejection. "The observations finally confirm the innermost structure of magnetic fields that strongly support the standard model of the magnetohydrodynamic jet. We expect further investigation together with multi-wavelength radio observations to reveal more about the black hole spin constraints," says Masanori Nakamura, an EHT collaboration member and associate professor at the National Institute of Technology, Hachinohe College, who has been studying the M87 jet for over ten years. The EHT collaboration published the results of the study with two separate papers in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The research involved over 300 researchers from multiple organisations and universities worldwide.   Publication Details: First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results VII: polarization of the ring Authors: The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration Journal: The Astrophysical Journal Letters DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/abe71d   First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results VIII: Magnetic Field Structure Near The Event Horizon Authors: The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration Journal: The Astrophysical Journal Letters DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/abe4de   Related to this result, a paper of analyzing the observation data with ALMA alone is published at the same time as the above two papers. "Polarimetric properties of Event Horizon Telescope targets from ALMA" DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/abee6a