[Seminar] "Hydrothermal Synthesis of Organic-modified Metal Oxide Nanocrystals" by Prof. Seiichi Takami, Nagoya University

Abstract: Metal oxides have various properties including magnetism, ferroelectricity, and luminescence. In addition, most oxides are safe and stable in air and water. Due to these practical merits, various metal oxides are used in functional devices. We believe that the synthesis of their nanocrystals might widen the application of metal oxides, because nanocrystals enable incorporation of their unique functions into various matrices such as polymers, plastics, and solvents. We have studied hydrothermal synthesis of metal oxide nanocrystals1–3 and realized surface modification of metal oxide nanocrystals with organic molecules.4–6 The attached organic molecules changed the surface chemical character of the nanoparticles and facilitated their dispersion into matrices4,5,7 and hybridization with other materials.8 We also found that some organic molecules stabilized particular crystallographic planes of metal oxide and thus controlled the shape of produced nanocrystals9,10 that exhibited higher catalytic activity.11–13 By using bi-functional organic molecules, the surface modification of metal oxide nanocrystals provides a route to realize nanoassemblies of metal oxide nanocrystals.14–16 In addition, we are studying the mixing behavior of reactant and heated water in flow-type reactor to study the growth process of these nanoassemblies. This presentation deals with our recent activity17 concerning the synthesis of metal oxide nanocrystals and their surface modification to realize new structures, functions and devices.

Biography: Dr. Seiichi Takami received his Ph. D. from the Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo in 1997. Since then, he worked in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tohoku University, and National Institute of Materials Science, Japan. Currently, he is a Professor in the Department of Materials Process Engineering, Nagoya University.
His fields of research include reaction engineering, nanomaterials synthesis, surface modification, and computational chemistry. One of his research topics is the synthesis of surface-modified metal oxide nanocrystals. Metal oxides have various properties including magnetism, ferroelectricity, and luminescence. Due to these practical merits, various metal oxides are used in functional devices and he proposed that the synthesis of nanocrystals widens the application of metal oxides because nanocrystals enable incorporation of the functions of metal oxides into various materials such as polymers, solvents and biological molecules. He has studied hydrothermal synthesis of metal oxide nanocrystals and their surface modification by organic molecules, which facilitates their handling and hybridization. The produced surface-modified nanocrystals well dispersed in solvents that had high affinity with the modifying molecules. He also found that some organic molecules stabilized particular rystallographic planes of metal oxide and thus controlled the shape of produced nanocrystals that exhibited higher catalytic activity. In addition, he is studying the mixing behavior of reactant and heated water in flow-type reactor to study the growth process of these nanomaterials. Recently, he is also studying the design of material under collaboration with researchers in mathematics fields.