Last Updated: Sunday, 08-Nov-2009 16:21:17 JST

Dr. Hiroyasu Furukawa's research focuses on fabricating crystalline materials from molecular building blocks, and utilizing such structures in hydrogen strage materials. He is also studying on the photo- and photoelectro-chemisty for silica-chlorophyll nanocomposites.

Hiroyasu Furukawa received his undergraduate training at Yokohama National University (B.S., 1995) and his graduate training at the University of Tokyo where he completed his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in 2000. That same year he moved to Waseda University as a research associate. Furukawa moved to National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in 2002 as an AIST researh fellow. In 2003 he recieved a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). His current position is a Post-doctral fellow at Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the University of California Los Angeles.

Education and Experience

2006-Present	University of California - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California Post-doctral Fellow with Professor Omar M. Yaghi
2005-2006	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Post-doctral Fellow with Professor Omar M. Yaghi
2003-2004	National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; JSPS Fellow
2002-2003	National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; AIST Research Staff
2000-2002	Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan Research Associate with Professor Kazuyuki Kuroda
1995-2000	The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Ph.D, Thesis Advisor- Professor Tadashi Watanabe
1991-1995	Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan B. S., Engineering

Award, Honor and ...

2003-2004	Visiting Scholar at The University of Michigan
2003-2004	JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
2000-2005	Visiting Researcher at The University of Tokyo (Institute of Industrial Science, IIS)

1. Aggregation behaviors of chlorophyllous pigments (1995-2000)

Aggregation behaviors of chlorophyllous pigments are influenced by the difference in the substituents of chlorophylls (Chls). To investigate supramolecular structure of the aggregate of Chls and their spectroscopic properties (i.e. visible absorption, fluorescence, resonance Raman and circular dichroism), a series of Chl derivatives possessing a variety of the C13⁴ substituent were synthesized. It was concluded that the difference between the supramolecular structures of the Chl aggregates depends not simply on the steric hindrance between the balky substituents but also on a possibility to form the rigid intermolecular hydrogen-bonding networks.

2. Fabrication of inorganic-organic nano-composites (2000-2002)

FSM-type mesoporous silica (FSM) modified with various diols has been utilized as an inorganic medium for immobilizing Chl a without denaturation. The energy transfer from Chl b to Chl a in the mesopores was also observed for the first time. Moreover, Chl derivatives possessing triethoxysilyl groups were synthesized and grafted on FSM to construct an efficient energy transfer system between the chromophores. Similar energy transfer behavior has been observed in the layered silica/surfactant mesostructured thin films containing Chl derivatives. When the thin film was formed on ITO electrode modified with Chl monolayer, efficient photocurrent generation (i.e. electron transfer from pigments to electrode) was also observed.

3. Electrochemical properties of various electrode materials (2002-2003)

For popularization of electric vehicles and actualization of compact electric power plants, it is necessary to develop new battery systems that can keep high-rate discharge for a long time. To this end, nano-structured amorphous TiO2/acetylene black composite electrodes was prepared by a sol-gel route employing Ti(IV) alkoxide as a starting agent. The obtained composites showed high specific capacity (above 125 mA h g^-1) under relatively large current density. Ordered mesoporous carbon containing ferrocene derivative (Fc-MC) with a hexagonal framework structure has also been prepared using a SBA-15 silica template. The electric double-layer capacitance of Fc-MC increases in comparison with that of pure mesoporous carbon.

4. Design and construction of porous frameworks from molecular building blocks of inorganic clusters (2003-)

Design of framework structures in which metal oxides clusters act as 'joints' and the organic linkers as 'struts' to produce highly porous crystals. These remarkable properties should be advantageous to gas storage, separations, reaction vessel (catalysis), and drug delivery system (DDS). Now I'm making several kinds of crystals which are of interest in both topological aspects and assembling themselves for construction of more large reticular structures.