YAMADA Lab.  –Inorganic Solid State Materials Chemistry–

Exploration of novel inorganic functional materials and development of new synthetic processes

Most inorganic materials are based on metals, alloys, and oxides, while inorganic compounds such as nitrides and intermetallic compounds also have high potential as functional materials. There are many inorganic compounds that have not been discovered or whose functions have not been completely revealed and understood. We aim to develop novel inorganic compounds through exploratory synthesis for use as functional materials such as thermoelectric materials, hard materials, and superconductors. We also intend to prepare high-quality samples by new synthetic processes and characterize such compounds by determining their functionalities and demonstrating the mechanism simultaneously through appropriate experimentation and theoretical calculation. These fundamental research efforts can aid the discovery of the so-called game changers in materials science.

Research subjects:

・Development of thermoelectric materials based on multinary intermetallic compounds
・Development and application of synthetic processes of nitrides using solid nitrogen sources
・Synthesis and characterization of novel Zintl compounds for development of functional materials
・Development of a low-temperature synthesis process for non-oxide ceramics