Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences
Tohoku University

Dr. Shimpei Endo has won Outstanding Reviewer Awards 2019. This  prize is awarded by Institute of Physics (IOP) to researchers who provide excellent, timely and productive reviews to  Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in 2019.   Date: April 2020 Given to: Assistant Professor Shimpei Endo in FRIS and Graduate School of Science (Theory of Nuclear Physics) Prize: Outstanding Reviewer Award Given for: excellent, timely and productive reviews to  Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in 2019 Given by: IOP Publishing (Institute of Physics Publishing 英国物理学会出版局) Reference: https://publishingsupport.iopscience.iop.org/questions/journal-of-physics-b-atomic-molecular-and-optical-physics-2019-reviewer-awards/      

Deadline : April 24, 2020   Outline We invite proposals for interdisciplinary themes and subjects by young researchers for “FRIS Creative Interdisciplinary Collaboration Program”. Submitted proposals are to be reviewed by FRIS committee. We appreciate your application based on original ideas and new points of view.   Research budget 1,000,000 yen for each fiscal year.   Eligible research group for application A research group should consist of at least two members. Assistant professor in FRIS must apply this program as a principal researcher.   Eligibility and How to apply Principal researcher (Research representative) should be an assistant professor in FRIS. Applicants should fill in the application form (A4 2 pages) and follow directions. Submit PDF file to FRIS office of following e-mail address:  @  Deadline April 24, 2020   For details please see the application guidelines.   Guidelines（PDF） Application（word） Contact Prof. Saida, (call extension 92-5752 or e-mail to @ ) Specially assigned associate professor Suzuki, (call extension 92-4353 or e-mail to @).

Deadline : April 17, 2020   Outline One of the objectives of Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS) is adoption and promotion for basic research themes beyond the typical disciplines. FRIS has basic experiment facilities and devices to meet the demand of interdisciplinary studies. We invite proposals for interdisciplinary themes and subjects in order to support the seminal studies of 6 domains of (1) Materials and Energy, (2) Life and Environmental science, (3) Information and Systems, (4) Device technology, (5) Human and Society, (6) Advanced basic science for “FRIS Creative Interdisciplinary Research Program”. Submitted proposals are to be reviewed by FRIS committee.We encourage application from young researchers such as assistant prof., lecturer, associate prof. We appreciate your application based on new original ideas and new points of view.   Research budget 1,000,000 yen for each fiscal year.   Qualification requirements Principal researcher (Research representative) should be a member of Tohoku University except FRIS as assistant professor, lecturer and associate professor. Especially, we encourage application from young researchers. Application form and submission method Applicants should fill in the application form (A4 2 pages) and follow directions. Submit 2 hard-copies to administvative office of FRIS.  Deadline April 17, 2020   For details please see the application guidelines.   Guidelines（PDF） Application（word） Contact Prof. Saida, (call extension 92-5752 or e-mail to @ ) Specially assigned associate professor Suzuki, (call extension 92-4353 or e-mail to @).

Reactions observed under the microscope: Cooperative solid and liquid catalysts make better batteries 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 discovered a synergetic effect of solid and liquid catalysts on boosting the energy efficiency of rechargeable lithium-air batteries. By using a state-of-the-art liquid cell transmission electron microscope, they have been able to directly visualize nanoscale interfacial electrochemical reactions in real-time and real-space. The operando observations uncovered the cooperative catalysis of RuO2 and TTF (i.e. model solid and liquid catalysts, respectively) in regulating the dynamic evolutions of electrode/electrolyte and electrode/Li2O2 interfaces. The insights gained from this study offer an in-depth understanding of Li-O2 electrochemistry and will facilitate the development of high-performance, next-generation batteries.   The work was published online in Nano Letters on February 20, 2020.   Publication Details Chen Hou#, Jiuhui Han#, Pan Liu, Gang Huang, Mingwei Chen*, “Synergetic Effect of Liquid and Solid Catalysts on the Energy Efficiency of Li–O2 Batteries: Cell Performances and Operando STEM Observations”, Nano Letters, 2020 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c00357 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c00357   Liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy allows direct visualization of the interfacial reaction dynamics in a lithium-oxygen micro-battery.

Regarding the Covid-19 Coronavirus (For those who are participating in conferences and events)     If you are attending conferences, events, or other functions hosted by Tohoku University, we would appreciate your cooperation with the following.   1. If you have symptoms such as a fever or a cough, or are suffering from pain, please contact a medical institution and undergo a medical examination before participating in the event. 2. As you would with cold and seasonal influenza, we encourage you to take measures to combat the spread of infectious diseases, such as covering your mouth when coughing, washing your hands frequently, and using hand disinfectant. 3. Please use the alcohol disinfectant at the entrance to the venue. 4. If you are in any way worried about your physical condition, please do not overexert yourself. 5. Please be aware that staff members working at events, etc. may be wearing masks. 6. For details on events, etc., please contact the relevant organizer.       关于近期防控新型冠状病毒性肺炎的通知 （来我校参加会议及各种活动的各位）     如果您近期来我校参加会议及各种活动，请注意以下内容，并采取相应的预防措施：   1.若您近期出现发热、咳嗽以及全身疼痛等症状，请在参加会议或活动前联系医疗机关，并前往医疗机构就诊； 2.与一般感冒、季节性病毒感冒一样，为了避免交叉感染，请在公共场合咳嗽时注意文明礼貌，勤洗手并积极进行手指消毒工作； 3.在进入会场前，请使用摆放在入口处的酒精消毒液进行手指消毒后，再进入会场： 4.感到身体不适时，请立即终止参加活动； 5.参与会议及活动的相关工作人员可能会佩戴口罩，请予以谅解； 6.关于会议、活动的详细情况，请与会议、活动的主办部门联系。     PDF

This event has been canceled due to various reasons. We are sorry to everyone who was looking forward to the lecture. Thank you for your understanding. The 4th FRIS-TFC Collaboration Event Workshop on The heart of intracellular transport: membrane trafficking The Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences will hold “the Workshop on the heart of intracellular transport: membrane trafficking” in cooperation with the Tohoku Forum for Creativity in conjunction with the FRIS Annual Meeting 2020. Professor Randy Schekman (UC Berkeley/Howard Hughes Medical Institute), 2013 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, will attend the meeting and will give a keynote speech. This is a very valuable opportunity, and we hope that many people will attend.   Date and Time: March 12, 2020 from 3:00 pm to 5:50 pm (Social Gathering from 6:00 pm)   Venue: Sakura Hall, Katahira Campus, Tohoku University [Campus map (E01)]   Organized by - Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS) - Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Organization for Research Promotion (TFC)   Speakers: Randy Schekman Professor, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute/2013 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine   Akihiko Nakano Deputy Director, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics   Yuta Amagai (Assistant Professor, IMRAM) Hiroki Ida (Assistant Professor, FRIS) Masaki Okumura (Assistant Professor, FRIS)   See the symposium website for details.   Contact FRIS (Hashimoto)  @

Assistant Professor Chrystelle Bernard Wins "Best Presentation Award for Young Researcher" in ICFD2019   Assistant Professor Chrystelle Bernard, a researcher of ELyTMaX, gave an oral presentation and received "Best Presentation Award for Young Researcher" in The 16th International Conference on Flow Dynamics (ICFD2019) held in Sendai International Center during 6-8th Nov. 2019. The award-winning research was conducted as part of a research program at ELyTMaX.   Presentation title: Investigation of the Thermal Behavior of Inflight Polymer Particle during Cold-Spray Process   Award date: 3rd Dec. 2019   Conference website: http://www.ifs.tohoku.ac.jp/icfd2019/index.html Award information: http://www.ifs.tohoku.ac.jp/icfd2019/images/Best_Presentation%20Award_for_Young_Researcher.pdf ELyTMaX website: http://www.elyt-lab.com/en/content/elytmax-umi-3757  

Tomokatsu Onaga (The Effect of Concurrency on Epidemic Threshold in Time-Varying Networks) co-authored,   Title: The Effect of Concurrency on Epidemic Threshold in Time-Varying Networks Authors: Tomokatsu Onaga, James P Gleeson, Naoki Masuda Published: 2019 Book: Temporal Network Theory pp. 253-267 Publisher: Springer, Cham Print ISBN: 978-3-030-23494-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23495-9_14  

A scanning electrochemical cell imaging technique shows how nanoscale structural features affect the catalytic activity of MoS2 monolayers for hydrogen evolution reactions, report researchers of a joint team led by Kanazawa University in Angewandte Chemie International Edition   The properties of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides are attracting a great deal of interest, and one of the reasons is their catalytic activity. In particular, better catalysts are needed to exploit the potential of water electrolysis – splitting water into its component elements – to provide sustainable energy storage.   “MoS2 is one of the most promising precious rare metal-free catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER),” point out Yasufumi Takahashi, Mingwei Chen, and Tomokazu Matsue and their colleagues at Kanazawa University, Tohoku University and other collaborating institutions in Japan, the US and the UK in their recent Angewandte Chemie International Edition report. The work highlights the role of “scanning electrochemical cell microscopy” for engineering the catalytic properties of these 2D materials.   As the researchers point out, scanning electrochemical microscopy has already proved useful in investigations of the catalytic activity of MoS2 monolayers, which have focused on the effects of strain, as well as the metallic versus semiconducting properties of different microstructural phases of MoS2 on HER catalysis. These studies used a microscale electrode to probe the sample for electrochemical activity as a function of location with high spatial resolution, on account of the microscale dimensions of the electrode.   In their scanning electrochemical cell microscopy studies, Takahashi, Chen, Matsue and colleagues use a nanopipette as a local, moveable electrochemical cell to probe the electrochemical activity on the surface instead of an ultramicroelectrode. They highlight the “reproducible and reliable technique for fabricating nanoprobes together with fast electrochemical characterization due to its small capacitive current” as additional advantages of this form of the characterization technique.   The researchers used a nanopipette with a 20 nm radius to study triangular monolayers of MoS2 with a 1H microstructural phase, as well as heterostructures of MoS2 and WS2. Each flake had a side length of around 130 nm. The measurements revealed changes in catalytic activity where edges, terrace features and heterojunctions between MoS2 and WS2 were located, which agrees with the suggestions of previous reports. In addition, aging the sample had a noticeable effect, particularly at edges.   The researchers conclude that their study demonstrates how it is possible to evaluate the local HER activity of catalytic samples using scanning electrochemical cell microscopy. They suggest that the technique can be a “powerful tool” for engineering the phase and structure of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide samples for applications in catalysis.   [Background] 2D transition metal dichalcogenides The isolation of graphene and the extraordinary properties identified in the material attracted intense interest from researchers not only in graphene but in a whole host of other materials, where 2D layers could be isolated. Among these 2D materials are transition metal dichalcogenides where the transition metals include molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) and the chalcogens are group VI elements, which include sulfur (S), selenium (Se) and tellurium (Te). As well as electrochemical catalysis for energy storage, this group of materials has also attracted interest for high-end electronics, spintronics, optoelectronics, energy harvesting, flexible electronics, DNA sequencing and personalized medicine.   [The hydrogen evolution reaction] The use of hydrogen as a fuel involves burning it in oxygen to produce just water and the release of a lot of energy. Hydrogen fuel avoids the use of fossil fuels and the production of carbon dioxide, and it can get around some of the issues of energy storage associated with many alternative sustainable energy technologies such as solar and wind power. The electrolysis of water using a sustainably sourced current provides an environmentally friendly way of producing hydrogen fuel. Although HER is faster than the oxygen evolution reaction, there is still great interest in increasing the reaction rates. As a result, there is a lot of interest in the catalytic activity of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides on HER among other reactions.   Reference: Yasufumi Takahashi, Yu Kobayashi, Ziqian Wang, Yoshikazu Ito, Masato Ota, Hiroki Ida, Akichika Kumatani, Keisuke Miyazawa, Takeshi Fujita, Hitoshi Shiku, Yuri E Korchev, Yasumitsu Miyata, Takeshi Fukuma, Mingwei Chen, Tomokazu Matsue, " High Resolution Electrochemical Mapping of Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets", Angewandte Chemie International Edition DOI: 10.1002/anie.201912863 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201912863     Figure 1. [TOC image] Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) allows imaging and quantitative analysis of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytically active sites in 1H MoS2 monolayers.  

Assistant professor Fumihiro Kaneda at FRIS, Tohoku University and Professor Paul Kwiat at University of Illinois have built the world’s most efficient single-photon source.   A single photon, a smallest unit of light, is a proposed resource in quantum computation and communication, serving as a quantum bit, or qubit. To produce photons quantum optics researchers often used nonlinear-optics effect where one of billions of photons in a laser pulse is split into a pair of low-energy photons. However, this photon-pair production is probabilistic; it can produce nothing (typically with over 90% probability), one pair, or two pairs. Kaneda and Kwiat solved this low-efficiency problem using a technique called time multiplexing. Their technique also uses a nonlinear-optics source but photons produced at random times are adaptively delayed via quantum memory so that produced photons are temporally multiplexed to enhance the presence probability of a single photon at the fixed time.   They are still improving the multiplexed single-photon source. Their planned upgrades would enable to produce 30 to 50 single photons simultaneously at unprecedented efficiencies. Although this is much smaller than the number of bits handled in an ordinary computer, quantum computation with such a small number of qubits could be comparable or faster than a supercomputer for some types of computations.   The researchers’ current findings were published online in Science Advances on October 4, 2019.   Publication Detail: F. Kaneda, P. G. Kwiat, "High-efficiency single-photon generation via large-scale active time multiplexing", Science Advances, Vol. 5, eaaw8586 (2019) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw8586