Interface Process Engineering Lab.
Department of Applied Chemistry, Okayama University
PI: Tsutomu Ono (tono@okayama-u.ac.jp, http://achem.okayama-u.ac.jp/interface/en-home/)

Professor : Tsutomu Ono
Assistant Professor : Takaichi Watanabe
10 MD students
7 BD students

Interface Process Engineering Lab.
Department of Applied Chemistry, Okayama University
PI: Tsutomu Ono (tono@okayama-u.ac.jp, http://achem.okayama-u.ac.jp/interface/en-home/)“Process innovation for product innovation”
We focus on the process innovation to improve the productivity, quality andfunctionality. To achieve our goals, we take advantage of some chemical andengineering approaches such as molecular design, materials science and processengineering.
Recently, we concentrate the following research topics.

Research Topics- From microfluidics to flow process for manufacturing materials- Design of functional particles and gels
- Material usage of ionic liquid properties:
Polymeric ionic liquid (PIL), Ionogel and Surface coatingFrom microfluidics to flow process
for manufacturing materials

Space saving
High-throughput
Quick mixing
Precise heating

Geometry design

Numbering-up
Mass production

Fluid design- Exploring the availability of flow process in material science:(ex.) microfluidic emulsification, polymerization, particle synthesis,
crystallization and nanofiber wet-spinning- Keywords: Microfluidic devices, Micro-chemical engineering,
Microchannel geometry, CFD, slug flow, jet flow, dropletsDesign of functional particles and gels

Phase separation(ex.) Solvent diffusion, Polymerization (Cross-linking),
Shear force, Interfacial tension- Controlled phase separation facilitates the well-definedinternal structure of monodisperse particles using
microfluidics.
- We explore the phase separation behaviors induced
by solvent diffusion, polymerization, shear andinterfacial tension.
- Keywords: phase separation, capsule, gel, porous,
core-shell, Janus, Bicontinuous, Spinodal
decomposition, Nucleation and growth, Aqueous
two-phase separation (ATPS), Liposome.

Hydrogel capsules

Janus particles

Porous particles

Doughnut particles

Material usage of ionic liquid properties:
PIL, Ionogel and Surface coatingcation
Polymerizationーanion
Ionic liquid (IL)“pendant PIL”

+ーーー“backbone PIL”

Polymer ionic liquid (PIL)- We aim to develop the non-volatile soft materials using ionic liquid: polymer, gel,particles, film and surface coating. Molecular design of PIL and the network leads toexert the specific properties such as CO2 absorption, ion conductivity and wettability.

- Keywords: PIL, Ionomer, click reaction, IL monomer, ionogel, double-network gel,Wettability, , Li-ion battery, CO2 selective separation,

Recent activities
1) T. Watanabe, K. Karita, T. Ono “Flow synthesis of monodisperse
micron-sized polymer particles by heterogeneous polymerization
using water-in-oil slug flow with non-ionic surfactant” Colloid
Polym. Sci., in press (2020) Link
2) T. Watanabe, R. Takahashi, T. Ono “Preparation of tough, thermally stable,
and water-resistant double-network ion gels consisting of silica
nanoparticles/poly(ionic liquid)s through photopolymerisation of ionicmonomer and subsequent solvent removal” Soft Matter, 16, 1572-1581(2020) Link
3) T. Watanabe, I. Motohiro, T. Ono “Microfluidic Formation of Hydrogel
Microcapsules with a Single Aqueous Core by Spontaneous Crosslinking in Aqueous Two-Phase System Droplets” Langmuir, 35(6), 2358-2367(2019) Link

4) T. Watanabe, K. Karita, K. Tawara, T. Soga, T. Ono “Rapid synthesis ofpoly(methyl methacrylate) particles with high molecular weight by soap-freeemulsion polymerization using water-in-oil slug flow” Macromol. Chem.
Phys.,220, 1900021 (2019) Link

Recent activities
5) T. Tsuneyoshi, Y. Cui, H. Ishida, T. Watanabe, T. Ono “Metal
Microcapsules Prepared via Electroless Plating at LiquidLiquid Interface” Langmuir, 35, 13311-13317 (2019) Link

6) M. Kohri, K. Yanagimoto, A. Kawamura, K. Hamada, Y.
Imai, T. Watanabe, T. Ono, T. Taniguchi, K. Kishikawa“Polydopamine-Based 3D Colloidal Photonic Materials:
Structural Color Balls and Fibers from Melanin-Like
Particles with Polydopamine Shell Layers” ACS Appl.
Mater. Interfaces, 10(9), 7640-7648 (2018) Link

7) T. Araki, K. Ogawara, H. Suzuki, R. Kawai, T. Watanabe, T.
Ono, K. Higaki “Augmented EPR effect by phototriggered
tumor vascular treatment improved therapeutic efficacy ofliposomal paclitaxel in mice bearing tumors with low
permeable vasculature” J. Controlled Release, 200(28),106-114 (2015) Link