Table of Contents
World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1
Message from the Director ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 2
About I2CNER �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3
I2CNER Vision ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4
I2CNER Contribution to the 2050 CO2 Reduction Target ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
Selected Research Accomplishments
Energy Analysis ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Molecular Photoconversion Devices ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
Electrochemical Energy Conversion �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Catalytic Materials Transformations ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
Thermal Science and Engineering ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18
CO2 Capture and Utilization ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
CO2 Storage �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 22
Hydrogen Materials Compatibility ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23
Advancing Fusion of Research Fields �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
Returning Results to Society ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
Network of International Collaborations ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28
Energy Transitions and the Role of CCS toward a Carbon-Neutral Energy Society ����������������������������������������������� 30
Distingushed Visitors �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 32
Seminars �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33
Selected Awards ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 34
Outreach Activities ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 35
I2CNER Structure ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 39
Personnel & Finances ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 41
Researcher List ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 43
Access Map ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 45

World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)

World Premier International
Research Center Initiative (WPI)
BackgroundAn intensifying global demand for talented researchers
is accelerating the need to develop the best scientificminds among the world's nations. This trend has
prompted Japan to establish new research centers that
attract top-notch researchers from around the world so
as to place itself within the “circle” of excellent humanresources.

Program Summary
The World Premier International Research Center
Initiative (WPI) has four basic objectives: advancing
leading-edge research, creating interdisciplinary
d o m a i n s , e s t a b l i s h i n g i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e s e a rch
environments, and reforming research organizations.
To achieve these four objectives, WPI research centerstackle the following challenges:

A Critical Mass of Outstanding Researchers• Bringing together top-level researchers withina host research institution• Inviting top-notch researchers from around theworld
Attractive Research and Living Environment of Top
International Standards• Strong leadership by center director• English as the primary language• Rigorous system for evaluating research andsystem of merit-based compensation• Strong support functions for researchers• Facilities and equipment appropriate to a top
world-level research center• Housing and support for daily living andeducation of dependent children
To assist the WPI research centers in carrying out thismandate, the Japanese government provides them withlong-term, large-scale financial support.

For more information:
MEXT Website http://www.mext.go.jp/english/research_promotion/1303822.htm
JSPS Website http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel/index.html

International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) Kyushu University
Toward the realization of a low-carbon society, I2CNER aims to resolve the challenges of the use of hydrogen energy and CO2
capture and sequestration by fusing together sciences from atomic level to global scale.

Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IP MU)
The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo
With accumulated research on mathematics, physics and astronomy, this research core works to bringlight to the mysteries of the universe, such as its origin, and to provide an analysis of evolution.

Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC)
Osaka University
An innovative research center, which pursues the goal of comprehensive understanding of immune
reactions through the fusion of immunology, various imaging technologies, and Bioinformatics.

Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS)
Kyoto University
Established to integrate the cell and material sciences, the iCeMS combines the potential power of stem
cells (e.g., ES/iPS cells) and of mesoscopic sciences to benefit medicine, pharmaceutical studies, theenvironment, and industry.

Institute for the Advanced Study of
Human Biology (ASHBi) Kyoto University
ASHBi investigates the core concepts of human biology with a particular focus on genome regulationand disease modeling, creating a foundation of knowledge for developing innovative and uniquehuman-centric therapies.

Institute for Chemical Reaction Design andDiscovery (ICReDD) Hokkaido University
ICReDD integrates computational, information, and experimental sciences in order to obtain in-depth
understanding of chemical reactions, which enables rational design and rapid development of new
chemical reactions.

International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine(IIIS)
University of Tsukuba
IIIS aims to elucidate the function of sleep and the fundamental mechanisms of sleep/wake regulation andalso aims to develop new strategies for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of sleep disorders. Our goal
is to contribute to promote human health through our sleep research.

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI)
Kanazawa University
Cells are the basic units of almost all life forms. We are developing nanoprobe technologies that allow
direct imaging, analysis, and manipulation of the behavior and dynamics of important macromolecules inliving organisms, such as proteins and nucleic acids, at the surface and interior of cells. We aim at
acquiring a fundamental understanding of the various life phenomena at the nanoscale.

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR),
Tohoku University
Integrating physics, chemistry, materials science, bioengineering, electronics and mechanical engineering,
AIMR is striving to create innovative functional materials. A mathematical unit joined the team in 2011 to help
establish a unified theory of materials science, aiming at the realization of a global materials research hub.

International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA)
National Institute for Materials Science
A major focus of our activities is the development of innovative materials on the basis of a new paradigm“nanoarchitectonics,” ground-breaking innovation in nanotechnology.

Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM)
Nagoya University
The goal of ITbM is to develop innovative functional molecules that make a marked change in the form
and nature of biological science and technology (transformative bio-molecules). ITbM will connect
molecules, create value, and change the world, one molecule at a time.

EARTH - LIFE SCIENCE INSTITUTE (ELSI)Tokyo Institute of Technology
ELSI focuses the origins of Earth and life. Both studies are inseparable because life should haveoriginated in unique environment on the early Earth. To accomplish our challenge, we establish aworld-leading interdisciplinary research hub by gathering excellent researchers in Earth andplanetary sciences, life science, and related fields.

International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN)The University of Tokyo
IRCN combines life sciences and information sciences to establish the new field of“Neurointelligence”. By clarifying the essence of human intelligence, overcoming neuraldisorders,and developing new AI technologies, we will contribute to a better future society.

I2CNER Annual Report 20181

Message from the Director

Message from the Director
It is a tremendously exciting time to be a part of the efforts that are ongoing at I2CNER. As it
enters its 10th year, the institute’s momentum and scientific impact continue to increase rapidly.
Many metrics support this claim: the number of scientific discoveries and breakthroughs has
increased dramatically as have the technology transfers to industry; the number of industrial
partnerships has increased as have the number of international universities seeking partnerships
with I2CNER. With I2CNER’s many missions and goals, this Annual Report is a sample of ourbest results since inception that have impacted and will impact society.
I2CNER’s grand challenge is to develop the foundations for the engineering of energy systems
that will address Japan’s future energy needs and contribute to the reduction of the nation’s
CO2 emissions by 70% from the 1990 levels by 2050. The impact of I2CNER’s research on CO2emission reductions is summarized in an I2CNER Report, entitled “Toward 2050: Contributing
to a Low Carbon Energy Society,” which outlines both the direct CO2 reductions enabled
by I2CNER research thrusts and the industry contributions, which are underpinned by these
innovations.
As a result of our current accomplishments, approximately 0.43% of the total required CO2
reductions, and as a result of our projected future achievements, approximately 5.26% of
the total required reductions can be realized by I 2CNER technologies and innovations if
they are applied to appropriate energy systems. Significantly, in addition to I2CNER’s directcontributions, development and implementation of I2CNER’s relevant technology efforts willaccount for a further 35.1% of the 2050 target, which demonstrates that I2CNER’s research
efforts underpin impactful energy technologies. The relevance of the I 2CNER research
efforts and objectives in enabling the government of Japan’s green innovation initiative isdemonstrated by the 53 projects that have resulted in technology transfer. These events are
summarized in I2CNER’s report: “Technology Transfer Summary: I2CNER’s Interaction with andImpact on Industry.” In addition, since inception, I2CNER has had a total of 122 collaborative
projects with industry.
I2CNER has established itself as a worldwide brand by making international, collaborationdriven transformational scientific advances, which will lead to a carbon-neutral energy
society. The high-impact transformational reforms being instituted by the Kyushu University
Administration with I2CNER’s help, as well as I2CNER’s strategy for furthering technologydriven research, are also positioning Kyushu University on the map of academic and energy
technology leaders.
In addition to collaborations in engineering and the physical sciences, I2CNER has developed
international collaborative programs that enable new cultural exchanges between Japan andthe United States. Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff from both Kyushu
University and University of Illinois have worked in a wide variety of ways with colleagues andshared cultural experiences such as city and museum experiences to working in laboratories
resulting in published co-authored research articles. The future successful goals of I2CNER
research for 2050 fall on our younger researchers and their ability to collaborate in a collegial,
communicative, and independent environment where all are welcome without traditional
barriers. I look forward to the continued building of the scientific and cultural bridges between
Japan, the United States, and the world.





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I2CNER Annual Report 2018

Professor Petros Sofronis, Ph.D.
Director, International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research(I2CNER)About I2CNER

About I2CNER
Mission2

At I CNER, our mission is to contribute to the creationof a sustainable and environmentally-friendly
society by conducting fundamental research forthe advancement of low carbon emission and costeffective energy systems, and improvement of energy
efficiency. The array of technologies that I 2CNER’s
research aims to enable includes Solid Oxide Fuel
Cells, Polymer Membrane based fuel cells, biomimetic
and other novel catalyst concepts, and production,
storage, and utilization of hydrogen as a fuel. Our
research also explores the underlying science of CO2
capture and storage technology or the conversion of
CO2 to a useful product. Additionally, it is our mission
to establish an international academic environmentthat fosters innovation through collaboration andinterdisciplinary research (fusion).

Science Organization
The Institute is organized in thematic research clusters(divisions) which address specific research objectives.
Each research division is led by a designated WPIPrincipal Investigator (Lead PI) of the Institute.
Typically, there are several research groups withineach division which focus on individual aspects of the
primary division objectives. The divisions are:• Molecular Photoconversion Devices• Hydrogen Materials Compatibility• Electrochemical Energy Conversion• Thermal Science and Engineering• Catalytic Materials Transformations• CO2 Capture and Utilization• CO2 Storage• Energy Analysis (Applied Math for Energy)
Not only are I2CNER’s researchers tasked with crossing
the boundaries of various scientific disciplines, butthey also must work hard to bridge the Pacific Ocean.
The I2CNER project is highly unique, in that it has
its main facility at Kyushu University (KU) in Japanand a Satellite facility at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the United States. The
research projects at UIUC are complementary to andintegrated with those at KU. In addition, the Satellite
Institute is a hub for identifying and engaging state of
the art research programs and faculty at universities
and other research institutions in the U.S. andinternationally with which I2CNER can collaborate.
These collaborations with first class international
research centers, universities, and national laboratories
help I2CNER to ensure that its mission has maximum
impact in Japan and throughout the world. In orderto sustain its fruitful international relationships, theI 2 CNER Administration encourages the Institute’s
researchers to engage in exchange visits with all its
international partners, especially the Satellite Institute.
The symbiotic relationship between KU and UIUC
is exemplary of I2CNER’s vision for the international
collaborations necessary to achieve breakthroughs infundamental science.

Figure 3. I2CNER Building 1

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

3

I2CNER Vision

I2CNER Vision

Figure 4.1. Parameter Space of Technology Options.

BackgroundOur vision of a carbon-neutral energy society (CNS)
is to help identify the future technology options for a
CNS by sharing a common image of a future for Japan
with people in and outside of I2CNER. In 2009, the G8announced the commitment of an 80% greenhousegas (GHG) emissions reduction in 2050 relative to the1990 level. The I2CNER vision for a low carbon society
for Japan is based on setting a long-term target of alarge reduction (70-80%) of GHG by 2050. This target
is particularly relevant to energy security concerns
caused by Japan’s current heavy reliance on imported
fossil fuels, which are depletable and scarce resources.
To achieve the target by developing new technology,
we also consider economic efficiency and safetyissues. As a whole, we consider 3E+S (Environment,
Energy Security, Economy, and Safety) as basic view
points for the vision.
In drawing our vision, we consider two major
principles, efficiency increase (we call it “EI” hereafter)in energy conversion and energy use, and lowering of

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I2CNER Annual Report 2018

carbon intensity (we call it “LCI” hereafter) of fuel andelectricity to adopt and develop future technologies.
EI should be pursued in energy transformation
systems as well as end use systems, including home
appliances. This idea will also be pursued in industrial
processes. EI can be applied to existing systems but
is also achieved by replacing existing systems withnew technology. LCI in electricity and fuel supplyuse pathways is achieved using either renewables,
nuclear, or CCS. LCI tends to need new facilities or
new infrastructure or both.
Fig.4.1 shows the image and relation of energy
conversion sectors and energy use sectors which
are connected by energy pathways represented bysecondary energy (electricity, hydrogen, and mixed
low carbon fuels using biofuel) in a low carbon
society. Some fossil fuel extracted from undergroundwill still be provided to energy conversion sectors andindustry with CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS).
Some captured CO 2 can be reused as an energy
carrier.

I2CNER Vision

I2CNER Scenarios for Carbon-Neutral
Energy Society

In terms of Scenario A, we are analyzing theinherent compromises which emerge between
system cost, energy security, and overall feasibilityof the deployment of renewables, CCS, and nuclear
technologies, along with system EI over time.
Renewables are prioritized because they improveenergy security and reduce energy related emissions
but intermittency is an issue which must be dealt
with at the system level, especially considering theuncertainty surrounding the contribution from nuclear.
In addition, the potential contribution of wind, which
has not been deployed as quickly as solar PV under the
Feed-in Tarrif (FIT), and implications on intermittency
and storage approaches as well as their costs continue
to be explored.

There are many possible scenarios to achieve our
3E+S energy vision. EI technology developments areimportant. Therefore, they are included across the
scenarios. LCI technologies can have the greatest
impact on GHG emissions and thus enable achieving
the challenging GHG emissions reduction target. As
mentioned in Annual Progress Reports of previous
years, we explored and developed multiple scenarios
by prioritizing different LCI technologies, renewables,
and CCS outlined in Fig.4.1 Nuclear is not prioritizedin the scenarios at this point because of publicconcerns about safety. The variability of development
and deployment of these technologies causes thedifferences among the scenarios.

Scenario D also has the potential to emerge asa future scenario. It utilizes imported hydrogensourced from coal gasification (in combination
with CCS) underpinning carbon neutral transport aswell as industry, residential, and power generation
applications in Japan. Uncertainty surrounding CCS
storage potential (domestic and international) andstakeholder acceptance (including industry) continue
to guide our analysis and ongoing revision of ourscenarios.

A most likely future energy system is what we termed
Scenario A in last year’s Annual Progress Report,
which in essence is a balanced scenario, involving a
combination of renewable energy deployment andcarbon capture and storage technologies. The second,
Scenario D introduces hydrogen into the energy
system, predominantly imported from overseas.

Scenario A (Balanced): Development of important EI technologies and balanced deployment of renewable and
CCS. About 71% CO2 emissions reduction relative to 1990 in 2050.
Contribution to EIHeat pump and FC cogeneration for residential & commercial from 2020. Low temperature heat utilization
for industry from 2020. Fuel cell and hydrogen material & storage for transportation from 2020. SOFC
(durability, generation efficiency, and coal gas application) for power industry in 2030-2050.
Contribution to LCI through renewables
Hydrogen storage and new battery technology to adjust intermittent PV and wind power from 2030.
Development of electrolysis (PEM and high temperature steam) using renewable electricity to provide low
carbon hydrogen from 2030.
Contribution to LCI through CCS
Low cost membrane CO2 capture technology for IGCC and other fossil fuel based power generation from
2030. Development of simulation technology for CO2 monitoring and storage site characterization from2030 through seismic approaches.
1

Scenario A

Sector CO2 emission reduction (Gt-CO2)

1.4

Battery electricvehicleHeat pump
FC cogeneration
OLED
Friction loss decrease

1.2
1.0

FCV with low carbonhydrogen by
renewable electrolysis
Sector classification
Demand decrease
Transportation: LCI
Transportation: EI

FCV and hydrogen
infrastructure

0.8

Industrial: LCI
Industrial: EIPV
Wind power
Coal & NG power
generation + CCS

0.6
0.4

Commercial: LCI
Commercial: EIResidential: LCI

SOFC
combined cycle

Residential: EIPower Sector:LCI

0.2

Power Sector: EI
CO2 emission

0.0

1990

2000

2010

2020

2030

2040

2050

Time (Year)

Figure 4.2. CO2 reduction relative to 1990 by sector in Scenario A.
I2CNER Annual Report 2018

5

I2CNER Vision

Scenario D (Hydrogen Import): Low carbon hydrogen import with balanced application of LCI technologies
including nuclear power, assuming commercial hydrogen import will start from 2030 mainly for power generation.
About 71% CO2 reduction relative to 1990 in 2050 I2CNER’s contribution to CCS.
Contribution to EI and LCI technologies in addition to those in scenario A
Through: (i) initiation of full-scale hydrogen economy, which I2CNER’s hydrogen compatible material
research and hydrogen physical property research underpin; (ii) mixing natural gas with hydrogen andgenerating pure hydrogen turbine power from 2030; (iii) supplementing the delay of nuclear generation
restart by hydrogen power generation and CCS deployment; (iv) hydrogen infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles
using imported hydrogen from 2030; (v) distributed power generation using SOFC and imported hydrogenfrom 2040.
Scenario D

Sector CO2 emission reduction (Gt-CO2)2

1.4

FCV with imported low
carbon hydrogen

1.2

Sector classification
Demand decrease
Transportation: LCI

1.0

Transportation: EI
Industrial: LCI

0.8

Industrial: EIHydrogen and NG
co-combustion
turbine power
generation
Hydrogenturbine power
generation

0.6
0.4

Commercial: LCI
Commercial: EIResidential: LCI
Residential: EIPower Sector:LCI

0.2

Power Sector: EI
CO2 emission

0.0

1990

2000

2010

2020
2030
Time (Year)

2040

2050

Figure 4.3. CO2 reduction relative to 1990 by sector in Scenario D.

I2CNER’s research efforts are intimately tied to these scenarios because the short-, mid-, and long-term milestonesof each of our division roadmaps were established in consideration of our intent to remove the roadblocks for thedevelopment and deployment timing of the various promising technology options in the scenarios. The updatingof the I2CNER roadmap and research portfolio for the removal of roadblocks toward CNS is carried out by thecontinuous interaction among the technical divisions and the Energy Analysis Division.

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I2CNER Annual Report 2018

I2CNER’s Contribution to the 2050 CO2 Reduction Target

I2CNER’s Contribution to the 2050 CO2 Reduction Target
Based on our analysis of current and futureachievements, approximately 0.43% of the totalrequired CO2 reductions via current achievements andapproximately 5.26% of the total required reductions
through our future achievements can be realized
by I 2 CNER technologies and innovations if they
are applied to appropriate energy systems (limiting
the contribution of any one technology to 50% of
the resultant market). In addition to I2CNER’s directcontributions, all I2CNER activities also contribute tothe overall relevant industry efforts (a further 35.1%of the 2050 target, shown in dark grey in Fig. 5.b)through the provision of underpinning technologies
and analyses.

0.43

5.26

As shown in Fig.5.b, the leading contributors to
I2CNER’s 2050 CO2 reduction efforts include energy
storage and carriers, encompassing electrolysis and thereversible fuel cell; CO2 capture and storage, throughnovel CO 2 separation membranes and monitoring
technologies; and energy efficiency, utilizing energy
saving heat loop-tube technologies and friction
reducing coatings. EAD continues to analyze eachtechnology thrust within I 2CNER in line with ourenergy system scenarios to ensure that our contribution
toward CO2 reduction and to underpinning industry
efforts is maximized.

0.79% 0.16

1.34

2.26%

1.02

0.12%

29.20
35.11
64.32

Current I2CNER Contribution
Additional I2CNER Contribution by 2050
2050 70% Reduction Target Remainder(a) Current and Future Contributions

Renewable Energy
Power Generation
CO2 Capture & Storage
Energy Storage & Carriers
Energy Eﬃciency
Hydrogen Economy
I2CNER Relevant Industry Contribution
Remainder of 2050 Target(b) Overall Contributions to 2050 CO2 Reduction Target

Figure 5. I2CNER’s current and future contributions to CO2 reduction in Japan.

I2CNER Annual Report 20187

Selected Research Accomplishments

Energy Analysis (Acting Division Leader: Prof. Itaoka)
Overview
This division plays a critical role in I2CNER. It is responsible for providing analyses of carbon emissions,energy efficiency, and cost of current and emerging I2CNER and other energy processes, technology, andinfrastructure. These analyses help ensure that I2CNER’s and global energy-related research are well targeted
toward a carbon neutral society for Japan and the world as a whole. Additionally, in collaboration with thetechnical divisions, this division continuously reviews and revises the Institute’s vision and roadmap toward acarbon-neutral society based on I2CNER and other energy system analyses.

Hydrogen station deployment for fuel cell vehicles
The objective of this study was to develop an effectivemodel for domestic hydrogen station deployment
and identify prospective areas for hydrogen stations
locations to meet future refueling demands of fuelcell vehicles (FCV). A deployment model employing
location allocation theory using GIS (geographic
information system) was used to consider userconvenience and FCV penetration phases.
The model assumed that current high-priced luxury car(over 5 million yen) owners were the potential initial
FCV customers and medium class car (over 3 million
yen) owners were the potential FCV customers of the
future. Based on our model results, we concluded
that the most effective approach was to locate thehydrogen stations in a way that minimizes average
distance between potential customers and nearesthydrogen stations (Fig. 6.1). The study also identified
gaps between existing and planned stations, and thesuggested station sites. This gap analysis identified
certain cities, particularly prefectural capital cities, inneed of coverage. The results were directly reported
to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
and shared with hydrogen station stakeholders to
support hydrogen deployment policy and planning inJapan. Also, the model results of follow-up analyses
are currently used by JHyM (the Japan Hydrogen
Station Network Joint Company), created by major
car companies and energy companies to develophydrogen refueling infrastructure.
Energy Transitions: The People, Technology, andSystems Nexus
The Japanese energy system is undergoing an energy
transition from a system traditionally highly reliant
on nuclear and fossil fuel energy sources toward a
low-carbon energy system which includes renewableenergy and complementary technologies includinghydrogen and battery storage, and carbon capture andstorage. Our research focuses on a number of aspects

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I2CNER Annual Report 2018

including the influence of exogenous shocks andliberalization on the transition progress, and the roleof the socio-technical regime on further influencing
the nature of the market and technologies which will
enable a successful low-carbon energy transition. In
the ‘people-technology-systems’ nexus, we consider abroad range of issues underpinning the transition in asystemic manner, identifying policy implications andpriority I2CNER technologies which may contribute to
the transition in Japan and internationally.
The EAD carried out: i) a comparative review ofJapan and transition leaders’ progress and policies
supporting the transition, drawing learnings to
improve future progress, and, ii) a national survey toestablish stakeholder activeness. As shown in Fig. 6.2,
Japan’s progress toward a successful transition lags
behind that of international leaders, however Japan
may have a future competitive advantage in being alate enactor of energy market liberalization. Further,through an investigation of householder knowledge,
usage and preferences toward energy and energy
policies, we were able to deduce three distinct tiers of
stakeholder activeness and motivation. Approximately
14.6% of Japanese consumers are likely to actively
seek economic and environmental benefits throughmarket products and services, 41% of consumers act,
depending on the level of perceived benefit, whilea further 44.4% of people remain indifferent to newmarket products and services.
Additional analysis was undertaken on potential
impacts on the future transition, by incorporatinghouseholder preferences in a bottom-up/strategic
policy hybrid approach. It was identified that anadditional quantum of renewable energy and areduction in nuclear power could be achieved inJapan by involving householders in the energy systemthrough initiatives including demand response,
network storage, and self-sufficiency.

Selected Research Accomplishments

Figure 6.1. Red dots and red areas show existing/planned station sites and their 10 minute driving radiuses. The additional stations
that will be created, bringing the total of initial stations to 100, are indicated by green dots (10 minute driving radiuses indicated bygreen areas). The additional stations (initial 100 to 200 stations) and their 10 minute driving radiuses are indicated by yellow dots
and yellow areas. The initial 5,000 customers are represented by blue areas. The additional 15,000 customers, which will bring thetotal to 20,000 early customers, are represented by light blue areas. Lastly, the additional 30,000 customers, which will bring thetotal to 50,000 early customers, are represented by pale blue areas.

Figure 6.2. Leading countries’ current position and projection toward a successful energy transition.

I2CNER Annual Report 20189

Selected Research Accomplishments

Molecular Photoconversion Devices (Lead PI: Prof. Ishihara)
Overview
The objective of this division is to reduce carbon emissions through cost effective conversion of solar
energy to electricity and hydrogen, and energy conservation through organic based lighting devices anddevelopment of new materials for surface molecular brushes for low friction technologies. The research
projects include new organic materials to convert solar energy into electricity, novel inorganic, organic,
and molecular photocatalysts to directly split water into oxygen and hydrogen, new concept molecules
as organic light emitting diodes, and new molecules for low friction. The research efforts include unique
techniques for the analysis of the interface structure of organic dye and inorganic semiconductors, synthesisof novel molecules for organic light emitters and photoelectrochemical and photovoltaic cells, device
fabrication and testing, and theory-based materials development.

Photovoltaic conversion efficiency and stability inhybrid perovskite based devices
Achievement of both high photovoltaic conversion
efficiency and stability in hybrid perovskite based
devices remains a key challenge to the technology.
The Adachi group, working with international
collaborators, has achieved globally-recognizedsuccesses in hybrid perovskite photovoltaics as well
as demonstrated key mechanisms for degradation.
Some of the most important contributions include thefollowing: (i) The group was one of the first to identify
degradation of the lead-iodide in lead-containing
perovskites, resulting in formation of metallic lead.
This was shown to be connected to moisture andoxygen in the device layers. The group showed thatchanging the processing conditions for the device
to avoid exposure to these, they could dramatically
improve lifetime (by a factor of 2.5). The formation of
metallic lead was also connected directly to carrier
recombination states in the materials, which is a
primary cause of efficiency loss. (ii) The group has also
demonstrated an entirely new method for stabilizing
perovskite photovoltaics by including additives in thedeposition precursor solutions. As one example of thisprocess they showed that addition of benzoquinone(BQ) to the precursors improved conversion efficiency
and device stability by improving the crystal structure
and morphology of the perovskite. In BQ-incorporated
perovskite solar cells, the power conversion efficiency
was ~15% and the 80%-lifetime (at which efficiency
reduces to 80% of the initial under illumination) was
4,000 hrs. Our recently extrapolated 50%-lifetime isover 20,000 hrs and among the world’s top reported
values. This approach has been adopted world-wide
for solution processed hybrid perovskite photovoltaics.
We also demonstrated that our perovskite alloy solar

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I2CNER Annual Report 2018

cells fabricated by mixing several cations and anions
were very thermally stable and that our lead-free tin
iodide-based perovskite solar cells fabricated witha modified solvent bathing method had very highstability, with almost no degradation under continuous
illumination over 1,000 hrs. More recently, oursystematic optimization of hybrid perovskite materials
and solar cell architectures led to an increase of power
conversion efficiency to ~21.5% and extrapolated
50%-lifetime to ~23,000 hrs (manuscript underpreparation). These results exceed the milestone of>20% in power conversion efficiency and >10,000
hrs in 50%-lifetime for Project 1 in the Molecular
Photoconversion Devices division’s roadmap andare approaching the mid-term milestone. (iii) In thepast year the group has published results of a new
approach to improving efficiency of the devices byaddition of photochemically active additives which
populate grain boundaries in the hybrid perovskites.
These reduce the contact potential at the boundaries,
and were shown to promote carrier transport andcollection. The mechanism for this improvement wasdemonstrated using scanning probe microscopy andprovides a general understanding of a key method
to improve device performances. (iv) Working
with collaborators in Australia, the United States,and Lithuania, and other countries, our team hasestablished a variety of fundamental understandingsof the operation of these devices. We have developeda theory of carrier transport and carrier trapping in
the devices, demonstrated the mechanisms for trap
formation, and simulated the behaviors with various
numerical models including drift-diffusion anddensity functional theory methods. This fundamental
understanding is improving optimization of devices
world-wide. These and other results are widely citedby other groups as groundbreaking in the field of

Selected Research Accomplishments

perovskite photovoltaics. The research has directconnections to and is improving organic light emitting
device performance and is opening new approaches
to thin film transistor technologies.
At the same time, the Adachi group has made worldrecognized contributions to the technology oforganic light emitting devices. Most notably, since
the inception of I2CNER, the group has extended its
prior work on triplet-to-singlet converter molecules,
i.e., thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF),
resulting in exceptionally high levels of luminosity
in the devices. Using this approach, we achieved
nearly 100% internal quantum efficiency converting
injected current into light emission and clarified the
TADF mechanism. More recently we have focused on
developing new light emitting molecules to enhance
the performance and lifetime of blue light emitters.
These are particularly difficult because the higher
the energy of emitted photons (as in blue light) thelower the typical lifetime of molecules providing theemission. Furthermore, current injection into thesemolecules becomes increasingly difficult when highenergy photons are to be produced. Finally, it is criticalto develop efficient blue light emitters as these can beused to drive emission at longer wavelengths, yieldinga white light source.
Novel Photocatalysts
Photocatalytic splitting of water to form hydrogenand release oxygen is one of the approaches being
explored for inexpensive transportation fuel production
and is a key component of Project 2-2 in the Molecular
Photoconversion Division. A successful approachrequires an improved photocatalyst that will directly
absorb sunlight and transfer the energy into breaking
a H-O bond in water molecules. Typically, this canbe limited by slow reaction kinetics for hydrogen
evolution. PI Ishihara and his collaborators at Kyushu
University, Imperial College, London, the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and elsewhere
have been working to understand the fundamental
properties of electrode materials and to improve thesethrough theory-guided molecular and inorganic solid
design. The result is an integrated multiscale modelingapproach combined with experiments to demonstrateintelligent design of advanced photocatalysts.
The approach has already resulted in dramatic
improvements in materials performance. Combining
first-principles electronic structure calculations withexperimental data and intelligent materials design,
the team in collaboration with the Ertekin theory
group at the University of Illinois have demonstrated
a model for co-catalyst activity in which rhodium (Rh)atoms are incorporated into titania (TiO2) nanosheets.
Atomistic first-principles methods were used to reveal
the process by which photo-generated charges aretransferred to the Rh reaction center. The Rh atom
was shown to capture free photoelectrons from theTiO2 and transfer them to adsorbed H2O molecules,
resulting in catalytic release of H2 at increased rates
relative to TiO 2 without the Rh dopant. Having
demonstrated the basic mechanism, the team thenassessed the potential for other transition metal atoms
to function in similar ways and to determine which
would produce the optimal catalysis of the reaction(Fig. 6.4). Experiments with pure TiO2 and with dopingof both Rh and Pd showed the predictive capability ofthe model. Design rules were developed for identifying
rate-limiting steps in the reaction. This provided thefirst direct comparison between experiment andcomputation and the first reliable method for design ofadvanced co-catalyst dopants for photocatalysis.
Taking the next step, the model was integrated witha drift-diffusion simulation tool to understand chargetransfer at a macroscopic scale. This approach couples
the atomic scale first-principles method with the fulldevice scale behavior. Using this method an improved
two-layer photocatalyst involving TiO 2 coating of
CaFe2O4 was designed and demonstrated. The CaFe2O4
acts as the solar absorber material while the TiO 2
protects the absorber from corrosion during operation.
The combination also reduces recombination ofphotogenerated carriers. This was combined with
the Ru co-doping to produce efficient water splitting
under visible (470 nm) light. The model correctly
explained why illumination under 300 nm light
produced inferior results due to photogeneration in the
TiO2, demonstrating the importance of the multiscalemodeling approach.
The design of advanced photocatalysts has also been
extended by the team through their development of
new processing methods to create the catalysts thattheory predicts should work well. The team showed,
for the first time worldwide, that high pressure torsion
could stabilize unique new crystal structures of ZnO
and TiO2 and their mixtures with other compounds.
The resulting materials are characteristic of highpressure phases of the mixtures. These were shownto have novel engineered optical properties and tofunction as photocatalysts with enhanced catalytic
activity. Improvements were found in GaN-ZnO
oxynitride mixtures and tantalite perovskites by afactor of three due to nitrogen and oxygen vacancies.
The findings were explained using theoretical
calculations and further optimization and intelligent
design of new materials was demonstrated using thisI2CNER Annual Report 201811

Selected Research Accomplishments

method. In summary, some of the unique contributionsof PI Ishihara’s team include: i) Demonstration thatsingle atoms incorporated into TiO 2 nanosheets
can catalyze water reduction to produce H 2 , ii)
Development and demonstration of the capabilities
of a multiscale approach to simulating photocatalysis
and allow intelligent design of novel photocatalysts
with superior properties. The resulting model is uniqueon a global scale for understanding photocatalysis,iii) Visualization of the mechanism for such a process
and testing of alternate dopants without the needfor experiments a-priori, iv) Development of novel
processing methods based on high-pressure torsion
resulting in metastable mixtures of compoundswith enhanced photocatalytic performances. Theseadvances address the short-term milestone for project
2 of the Molecular Photoconversion Devices Division.

Figure 6.3. Kelvin-probe force microscopy images of changes to hybrid perovskite materials when doped withbenzoquinone. Contact potential differences at grain boundaries decreased under illumination, leading to efficient carriertransport across grain boundaries.

Figure 6.4. Calculated activity profiles for a broad spectrum of transition and rare earth metals as cocatalyst dopants.

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Selected Research Accomplishments

Electrochemical Energy Conversion (Lead PI: Prof. Matsumoto)
Overview
Electrochemical processes are at the heart of efficient conversion between electrical and chemical energies.
The objective of this division is to conduct scientific research and technological development for energyefficient, low-cost, and robust electrochemical energy conversion, in systems including polymer electrolyte
fuel cells (PEFC), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC). PEFC is thepreferred solution for automotive fuel cell applications. Inefficiencies at low temperatures (ca. 80˚C) areleading to a focus on higher temperature (>100˚C) hydrogen PEM fuel cells. Research addresses catalyst
activity, support durability, and high temperature electrolyte identification and evaluation. SOFCs are
utilized for stationary electricity generation at various scales. Research addresses developing a fundamental
understanding of electrode and electrolyte materials and electrochemical events taking place in theSOFC, surface/interfacial catalytic processes on metal oxides, and electrode and electrolyte degradation.
Electrolysis is used to produce hydrogen from electricity to respond to the forthcoming demand for hydrogenfuel. SOEC and related devices are examined from the perspective of activity and durability of electrolyte
and electrode components. Other relevant energy storage concepts, e.g. batteries, are also addressed indivision activities.

Air electrodes in high temperature electrochemical
devices: An atomistic study of composition andmechanisms
This interdisciplinary international effort directed by
PI Kilner lies at the intersection of surface science,materials science, electrochemistry and theoreticaland molecular chemistry and was enabled by theformation of cross divisional team at I2CNER. This teamtackled the very difficult problem of understanding
the surface properties of multicomponent oxide
air electrodes at high temperatures in the complex
gaseous environment of ambient air. Air electrodes
can typically experience degradation under operationconsequently limiting the commercialization of hightemperature electrochemical devices for efficientenergy conversion. The role of the air electrode is toeither incorporate oxygen, by the oxygen reduction
reaction (ORR), or evolve oxygen by the oxygen
evolution reaction (OER), during operation in either
fuel cell or electrolysis mode. The evolution of surface
composition, surface reactions, and the degradation
mechanism are longstanding puzzles that must
be addressed for wide-scale technology adoption.
Using a combination of advanced surface analysis
techniques and first principles theoretical studies,
we have unravelled the significant phenomena that
control the performance of the ORR and OER in thesemutlicomponent materials in the complex gaseousenvironment of ambient air. The most common
materials used as air electrodes are the mixed ionicelectronic conducting perovskite oxides with a generalformula of A1-xA’xBO3, where the transition metal B
cations such as Co or Fe are thought to be essential to
the ORR/OER process and the large A and A’ atoms,
most usually La and Sr respectively, were both thought
to be inert. The first part of this investigation showed
two previously unknown characteristics, that are
universal to a large class of air electrodes and closely
linked to their degradation. First, under the conditionsof operation the surface quickly reorganizes to atermination consisting entirely of A type cations andO ions, covering the catalytically active B cations.
Second, there is a rapid segregation of substituted A’
cations to produce a majority A’O (e.g. SrO) rich nearsurface region (Fig. 6.5. a, b). Using this knowledgeof the surface composition, we computationallymodelled the adsorption and incorporation ofmolecular oxygen onto these segregated electrodesurfaces. Our analysis shows that pristine segregated
SrO surfaces are inactive for oxygen adsorption,and that systems must rely on active site mediatedmechanisms for adsorption to occur. These active
sites are the surface oxygen vacancies that provide awindow to access the active B site transition metals(Fig. 6.5.c). We have extended this analysis, and again
by a combination of experiment and theory we haveshown the importance of understanding the role of theother oxygen bearing molecules in the air environment
to optimise the ORR reaction. Finally we have shownthat in related A’ free materials, e.g. La 2NiO 4, thesurfaces are again AO dominated and that, in this case,

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Selected Research Accomplishments

and contrary to conventional thought, the surface La
cations are an active participant in the ORR reaction.
This is due to the electronic configuration of theserare earth elements which shows a marked degree of
covalency in their interaction with oxygen. These new
insights highlight the critical need for rational designof surfaces to enhance performance; a finding thatwas previously not recognised points the way to the
optimisation of high performance low degradation air
electrodes. Additionally, these results meet the shortand a mid-term milestones for solid oxide cells in
Project 1 of the Electrochemistry Energy Conversion
division’s roadmap.
Novel electrocatalyst design based on polymerwrapping of carbon nanotubes
To overcome the critical limiting feature of low
durability of electrocatalysts, PIs Nakashima andFujigaya have developed the use of polymer-wrappedcarbon supports. This unique approach has now
been applied to produce a comprehensive set ofmetal nanoparticles including Pt, Au, Pd, Au-Pd coreshell and Ir or homogeneous coatings of the protonconductive layers on the surface of carbon supports(Fig. 6.6.a). Notably, the team has demonstrated
extremely high durability, with lifetimes of thepolymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) for single cell tests
exceeding 500,000 cycles at 80˚C under humidified
conditions (Fig. 6.6.b) and > 400,000 cycles at 120°C under non-humidified condition, which to the bestof our knowledge is the world-top durable fuel cell
catalyst. This polymer-wrapping technology opens
new routes for developing next generation PEFCs withboth exceptional durability enhancement and cost
reduction. These results exceed the stability target
for PEFCs in Project 1 of the Electrochemical Energy
Conversion division’s roadmap, are contributing to theshort-term milestone, and are promising toward thefinal target for ‘non-Pt PEFC’.
Highly-Conductive Proton-Conducting Oxide forIntermediate temperature steam electrolysis
The group of PI Matsumoto made significant
advancements on steam electrolysis, currently the mostenergy-efficient process of water splitting for hydrogenproduction using renewable energy. We developed
BZCY548/92, a proton conducting electrolyte exhibiting
high performance at intermediate temperatures (400600 °C). Conductivities at 500 and 400 ºC are higher
than those of LSGM and GDC which are the mostfrequently used benchmark for oxide ion conducting
solid electrolytes (Fig. 6.7). We determined the14

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

composition to be the best in the series of perovskitetype BaZrxCe1–x–yYyO3−δ (BZCY) electrolyte materials
with protonic conductivity of 10-2 S/cm or higher at
500°C as well as for thermodynamic stability. The
reported BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2O3-δ (9 ×10-3 S /cm at 500°C) as
holding the benchmark conductivity is disadvantageous
due to its low stability in CO2 and H2O environments.
We discovered the cerium/zirconium ratio of 5/4 at
the B-site of the perovskite exhibits both a higher
conductivity and stability than the benchmark. A steam
electrolysis voltage as low as 1.45 V was obtained atcurrent densities of 0.2 and 0.5 A cm-2 at 550°C and
600°C, respectively, with current efficiency >82%
using our developed BaZr0.44Ce0.36Y0.2O3-δ electrolyte.
From this performance, the calculated amount ofelectricity required to produce 1 N-m3 of hydrogen is
4.2 kWh, which is lower than the 5 kWh required forthe same amount of hydrogen using ordinary waterelectrolysis. Regarding the air electrode, we clarified
the availability of protons in double perovskite oxide
BaGd 0.8La 0.2Co 2O 6−δ at 300°C from which new airelectrode materials tailored for use with protonic
electrolytes could be designed. We have establisheda standard protocol for highly efficient intermediate
temperature steam electrolysis, which has been sharedwith Nippon Shoukubai Co. Ltd through collaborative
research initiated in 2013 toward commercialization.
The conductivity of this new material meets theshort-term milestone in the Electrochemical Energy
Conversion division’s roadmap for Project 2.

Selected Research Accomplishments

a)

b)

c)

Figure 6.5. a) Measured compositional profile shows segregation of cations to the surface, b) Schematic of measured composition
profile. The segregation is closely linked to performance degradation, c) Atomistic modelling has unveiled a vacancy-assisted
mechanism for surface oxygen exchange involved in the ORR.

Figure 6.6. New approach to highly durable electrocatalysts based on polymer wrapping. a) Summary of the approach, b) Durability
results showing no visible degradation in polymer wrapped systems up to 500,000 cycles.

Figure 6.7. Ionic conductivity of (BZCY548/92) compared with existing oxide-ion-conducting electrolyte materials.

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Selected Research Accomplishments

Catalytic Materials Transformations (Lead PI: Prof. Ogo)
Overview
The objective of this division is to contribute to the creation of innovative carbon-neutral technologies bydeveloping “Novel Catalysts,” underlining both aspects of basic science and engineering. The activities
are focused on investigating catalysis-related “Solar Energy and Energy Conservation,” all of which havethe potential to significantly increase energy efficiency and reduce CO 2 emissions in energy, power, orindustrial production processes. Projects in the division address the development of: (i) novel biological andbiomimetic catalysts for H2, CO2, and H2O activation based on naturally occurring enzymes; (ii) materials
development toward the realization of a carbon-neutral power generation cycle.

A functional [NiFe] hydrogenase mimic that catalyzes
electron and hydride transfer from H2
The search for biomimetic hydrogen activation by
the Ogo team along with our report of a functional[NiFe]-based catalyst (Fig. 6.8) was crowned the first
synthetic analog for H2 activation in the world. The
new catalyst consists of Ni and Fe centers linked bya pair of thiolates, as seen in the natural enzyme.
Structural investigations were performed by a rangeof techniques, including x-ray diffraction and neutron
scattering, resulting in detailed crystal structures thatcan be analyzed to understand the mechanism of
catalysis. The hydrido substrate bridges the Fe and Ni,
being predominantly associated with the Fe center.
The hydridic character of the substrate is manifestedby the liberation of H 2 upon reactions with strong
acids. By activating hydrogen, this new system iscapable of catalytically reducing substrates by bothelectron transfer and hydride transfer pathways. This
accomplishment along with the development of themodel complex of O 2-tolerant [NiFe]hydrogenase
that functions as a non-Pt cathode catalyst for the
reductions of O 2 and H 2 O 2 meets the short-termmilestone for Project 1 in the Catalytic Materials
Transformations Division’s roadmap.
One model, two enzymes: activation of hydrogen andcarbon monoxide
A second major advance, also coming from the
Ogo group, targets bio-mimetic (or bio-inspired)catalysis. The focus remains on transformations ofsmall molecule substrates including H2, N2, CO2, andH2O, since these are central to the I2CNER missionof producing clean fuels for carbon neutral power
generation cycles. Following the division roadmap,
research efforts of the Ogo group have made particular
progress on single catalysts for transformations of

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I2CNER Annual Report 2018

multiple energy-relevant substrates. The ability tocatalyze the oxidation of both H2 and CO in one pot
is highly relevant to our future hydrogen economy
since CO is a persistent contaminant of H2 supplies.
The newly reported catalyst is based on a NiIr core,comparable in design to the active site of the iconic[NiFe]-hydrogenases and the CO-dehydrogenases(CODH), two of the most important enzymes in thisarea. The CO and H2 bind to the Ir center, as verified
by X-ray crystallography. An additional advantageof this design is its compatibility with aqueous
media, which allows the operator to control productdistribution by manipulating pH. The catalyst has been
demonstrated in an actual fuel cell using H2, CO, andH2/CO as fuels for oxidation at the anode. This effort
satisfies the short-term milestone for project 1 of theCatalytic Materials Transformation Division.
CO2-free electric power circulation via direct charge
and discharge using the glycolic acid/oxalic acidredox couple
This discovery by PI Yamauchi involves a CO 2-free
way to distribute electric power by exploiting an
incredibly simple, bio-derived redox couple. The
components of the couple are glycolic acid (GC)and oxalic acid (OX), both of which occur widelyin nature. Direct electric power storage in GC
ensures high stability and transportability under mild
conditions in the potential region of -0.5 to -0.7 V vs.
the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) at 50°C. The
most desirable characteristic of this electro-reductionis the suppression of hydrogen evolution even inacidic aqueous media (Faraday efficiency of 70–95%,
pH 2.1). Key advantages of this emerging technology
are the high energy density of the components andthe robustness of titania nanospheres that mediate theelectron-transfer. This is the first ever demonstrationof direct storage/generation of electric power using

Selected Research Accomplishments

solution type carriers without CO2 emission. Aiming
at technology development, we first constructed aliquid flow-type electrolyzer as an electric power
storage device, namely a polymer electrolyte alcohol
electrosynthesis cell (PEAEC) which is applicable forglycolic acid/oxalic acid redox reaction. The aqueous
solution of glycolic acid ensures high energy density,
up to 528 Al h–1, by a consideration of its maximum
solubility (~4.93 M at 60 °C), which is almost ten
times higher than that of the reported redox flow
battery. The energy conversion efficiency of this newly
fabricated PEAEC is 59.4% (recently 65%) and it is

the best ever reported on storing electric power into
an easily transportable alcoholic solution. Using an
alkaline fuel cell (Fig. 6.9), we also achieved CO2free power generation via electro-oxidation of glycolicacid into oxalic acid for the first time. This coupling of
power storage and generation based on the alcohol/acid couple holds great promise toward addressing
the intermittency problem of renewable electricity.
This achievement is directly relevant to the Catalytic
Materials Transformation division’s long-term target for
Project 2.

Figure 6.8. Bio-inspired catalyst for hydrogen activation.

Figure 6.9. Schematic of a carbon-neutral energy circulation by highly selective electrocatalyses using the glycolic acid/oxalic acidredox couple. Numbers indicate product selectivity.

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Selected Research Accomplishments

Thermal Science and Engineering (Lead PI: Prof. Takata)
Overview
The objective of this division is to enable the most effective use of materials in carbon-neutral energy
technologies, and to improve the energy efficiency of thermal processes by expanding our knowledge ofmaterial thermophysical properties and thermal science and engineering. More specifically, research in thedivision aims at: expanding our knowledge-base of thermophysical properties of hydrogen and alternativerefrigerants to enable their most efficient use to reduce CO2 emissions; improving our understanding of thebasic science of heat and mass transfer to enable the development of more efficient energy systems; andresearching new thermal energy heat pump and refrigeration systems focused on the use of waste heat andnew refrigerants for improved overall energy efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.

Fundamental understanding of phase change heattransfer
Condensation and boiling on smooth and engineered
surfaces has received much attention in the past
century due to its inherently high heat transfer
efficiency. Although widely used in a plethora ofindustries, the fundamental mechanisms governing
the physics of phase change heat transfer are poorly
understood. The team of Takata and Miljkovic, working
with international collaborators, have challenged
this by answering century old questions in the fields
of condensation and evaporation (Fig. 6.10) anddeveloping the most comprehensive fundamental
understanding of phase change heat transfer anywherein the world. The knowledge gained from our work is
being applied to the development of more compact
energy systems, including condensers for Heating,
Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration (HVAC&R),
and power generation industries, anti-icing surfaces,
and highly efficient electronics thermal management
devices. This work has achieved the short and midterm milestones of projects HMT-1 and HMT-2, and it
currently targeting the long term milestone of projects
HMT-1 and HMT-2.
Fundamental understanding of hydrophobic coating
degradation
Dropwise condensation of steam on metallic surfaces
coated with hydrophobic films has the potential toachieve remarkable heat transfer coefficients resulting
in 2% efficiency enhancement on 85% of the baseload
power generating infrastructure globally. However,
the main challenge of using these coatings for the past
8 decades is their lack of long-term durability. The
senior and junior members of the Takata and Miljkovic
teams have developed the world’s first fundamental

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understanding of degradation of hydrophobic
coatings during condensation. We elucidated failure
mechanisms linked to mechanics of thin-films alongwith heterogeneous nucleation physics. We used ourunique understanding to develop, for the first time,scalable and durable hydrophobic coating approaches,in collaboration with the biggest coatings and paints
company in the world (PPG), that can be applied toa variety of industrial energy systems. This work has
achieved the short and mid-term milestones of projects
HMT-1, and it currently targeting the long term
milestone of projects HMT-1.
Achieving dropwise condensation of low surface
tension fluids
A major challenge in the thermal science field isthe inability to develop engineered surfaces thatcan enhance the condensation heat transfer withlow surface tension working fluids (refrigerants).
The Miljkovic team has overcome this challenge forthe first time ever through utilizing liquid infusedsurfaces (LIS). They rigorously investigated lubricantcondensate pairs to develop rational design guidelines
for LIS with low surface tension fluids and to develop,
for the first time in the world, an engineered surface
coating that can achieve dropwise condensation ofan alkane. They demonstrate for the first time, stable
dropwise condensation of ethanol and hexane on
LISs impregnated with Krytox 1525, attaining a 200%
enhancement in condensation heat transfer coefficientfor both fluids compared to filmwise condensation
on hydrophobic surfaces. This work has achieved theshort term milestones of projects HMT-1 and TES-2,
and it currently targeting the mid-term milestone ofprojects HMT-1 and TES-2.

Selected Research Accomplishments

Figure 6.10. TEM images of suspended water film in CNT under high vacuum conditions.

I2CNER Annual Report 201819

Selected Research Accomplishments

CO2 Capture and Utilization (Lead PI: Prof. Fujikawa)
Overview
The objective of this division is to develop: (i) highly efficient materials for CO 2 separation in power
generation and industrial processes; and (ii) electrochemical methods to convert CO2 into value-added
chemicals, such as liquid fuels or their intermediates, in an energy-efficient and cost-effective way. In thearea of CO2 separation, the objective is to develop novel membrane technology to separate CO2 in theprocess of pre-combustion for Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), post-combustionat power plants and other industries, and for gas purification at natural gas wells. Membrane separation
presents serious scientific challenges. Conventional membrane technologies are limited by low gas
permeability, although their CO2 selectivity is now reaching acceptable levels for application. The mostpromising approach to improve gas permeability is membrane thinning, because current membranes are stillseveral microns thick. Thus, research in this division focuses on the design and development of materials
for thinner membranes for selective gas separation. In the area of electrochemical CO2 conversion, theobjective is to develop better catalysts and electrodes. Most current catalysts require a high over-potential
to drive electrochemical reduction of CO2. Thus, the focus of the division is to develop catalysts that reduce
this overpotential, thereby increasing the energetic efficiency of the process, while at the same time creating
electrodes that eliminate mass-transport limitations in the electrolyzer cells.

Membrane materials for CO 2 separation in powerg e n e ra t i o n a n d i n d u s t r i a l p r o c e s s e s C O 2 / N 2
separation
Industrial requirements for membranes for CO 2
separation over nitrogen require that the CO 2
permeance exceed 4,000 GPU which is the target of
the CO2 Capture and Utilization division’s roadmap. PI
Fujikawa and his group demonstrated that membrane
thinning markedly improves the gas flux performance,and hence our efforts have been directed to preparing
ultimately-thinned membranes at the nanometer scale(nanomembrane) without gas leaks. We succeededin manufacturing free-standing polysiloxane(PoliSil)based nanomembranes with high CO 2 solubility
and thickness less than 50nm. The associated CO2
permeance of more than 40,000 is the world’s highest,
better than the current benchmark of 2,000 GPU heldby MTR Inc., USA, ten times larger than our division’sroadmap target (4000 GPU), and with moderate 10
to 11 CO2/N2 selectivity. Based on this achievement,
we are now focusing our efforts on improving theselectivity of these ultrafast CO2 permeable membranes
by introducing a CO 2 selective layer, whereby the
PoliSil nanomambrane is functioning as a gutter layer.
Preliminary results show that the modified membranes
exhibit selectivity that exceeds our project’s target
value of 40, though the CO2 permeance falls well
below the target value. Additionally, when tested underatmospheric pressure conditions, the membranes

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I2CNER Annual Report 2018

captured CO 2 from CO 2 /N 2 mixture with a CO 2
concentration of 1000 ppm. This finding expands therelevance of our research goals beyond the capturingof CO2 at fire-powered plants to the entirely new areaof direct CO2 capture from the air.
Membrane materials for CO2/H2 separation
Separation of CO2 over H2 at integrated gasification
combined cycle (IGCC) plants (pre-combustion CO2
capture) requires membranes with CO2 permeanceand selectivity respectively equal to 100 GPU (1GPU=7.5×10 -12 m 3 (STP)/(m 2 ·s·Pa)) and 30, under
CO 2 partial pressure <1.0 MPa and temperature
up to 60°C. The I 2CNER developed alkanolaminecontaining polymeric membranes, and especially,
the 2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethanol-containing
membranes developed by Prof. Taniguchi exhibited
CO 2 permeance of 155 GPU with selectivity of
10 at CO 2 pressure of 1.0 MPa and 80 % relative
humidity. Investigating the mechanism of preferential
CO 2 permeation at the molecular level, we foundthat the CO 2 permeance is significantly enhanced
under humidified conditions. The amine-containing
membrane turns into a hydrogel and the CO2 migrates
through the membrane in a bicarbonate ion form.
The measured CO2 permeance exceeds the division’sroadmap target of 100GPU, while the selectivity of 10
should be further improved to 30. This performanceis better than that of the membranes developed at
RITE (permeance of 2.6 GPU and selectivity of 17)

Selected Research Accomplishments

and which are being tested at pilot-scale. It should
be noted that CO2 permeance of 206 GPU with CO2
selectivity of 103 at 107C were reported by researchersof Ohio State University at a RITE symposium last
January; however these results have not appeared
in a refereed journal publication. Currently, ourefforts are focused on the development of a hollow
fiber membrane module to explore the scaling-up of
our membrane project to a demonstration level fortechnology transfer. I2CNER established a facile andscalable technique to prepare hollow-fiber membrane
modules by circulating membrane materials inside thehollow-fibers. The resulting membrane modules not
only show high CO2 separation properties but theyalso exhibit good durability at 50°C and Δp (CO2) of
40 kPa for about 300 h.
Glycerol Oxidation as Alternative Anode Reaction for
Energy Efficient Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Since the seminal work of Hori et al. on transitiongroup metal cathode catalysts for the electrochemical
reduction of CO2 to value-added chemicals, muchresearch has focused on engineering catalysts toimprove the selectivity and activity of the CO 2
reduction reaction on the cathode. However, theoxygen evolution reaction (OER) which occurs at theanode consumes ~90% of the overall energy required
for CO2 reduction. Prof. Paul Kenis’ group successfully
investigated the effect of using glycerol oxidation as
the anodic reaction rather than conventional OER.
Using a mixture of 2 M Glycerol and 2 M KOH as the
anolyte, an onset potential of -0.85 V (a 53% reduction
in overall energy requirement for CO2 electrolysis)
is possible, compared to an onset potential of -1.60
V using OER. Furthermore, we showed that current
densities of 90 mA cm-2 can be achieved at -1.50 V
using glycerol oxidation vs. -2.20 V using conventional
OER. This achievement directly addresses the shortterm milestone under Project 2 for low- efficient andlow energy requiring anode catalysts. In fact, due tothe low cell potential when using anodic glycerol
oxidation, I2CNER holds the benchmark for lowest
overall energy requirement for CO2 electrolysis.

I2CNER Annual Report 201821

Selected Research Accomplishments

CO2 Storage (Lead PI: Prof. Tsuji)
Overview
The objective of this division is to: develop methods of reservoir characterization and modeling, and new
effective monitoring of injected/leaked CO2 to help ensure safe and permanent CO2 sequestration in subseabed geologic formations; and propose and realize new carbon storage concepts suitable for geologicalformations and rock types typical of Japan. The research projects and efforts have been established in sucha way that they take into consideration the heterogeneity of the geological formations in Japan, the limited
availability of geological data for CO2 injection in aquifer formations, and the requirement for long termmonitoring of pressure variations near seismogenic faults.

Inertial effects in liquid CO2-water flow behavior forCO2 storage
The coupled pore-scale flow dynamics of CO 2
and brine in geologic media represents a criticalcomponent of accurately predicting large-scalemigration of injected CO2. PI Christensen’s research
focused on the first-ever experimental quantificationof these pore-scale flow processes at reservoir-relevant
conditions in 2D micromodels. The results obtained inboth homogeneous and heterogeneous micromodels(inspired by real rock) provide a detailed picture of theflow physics during the migration of the CO2 front, theevolution of individual menisci and the growth of thedendritic structures, so called fingers. Velocity burst
events, termed Haines jumps, were captured, during
which the local Reynolds number was estimated to
be up to O(100) in the CO 2 phase, indicating thesignificance of inertial effects. Pore drainage eventswere shown to be cooperative, and the zone ofinfluence of such an event may extend beyond tensof pores, confirming, in a quantitative manner, that
Haines jumps are non-local phenomena. The findings
provide valuable insights into flow processes at thepore scale, which are of great benefit for the otherresearch efforts going on within the division (e.g.,model construction and upscaling). This effort directly
addresses the short-term milestone of Project 2 of the
CO2 Storage Division.
Continuous and accurate monitoring system for
injected CO2
In Carbon Capture and Storage, the monitoring of
injected CO 2 is crucial for (a) predicting the riskof CO 2 leakage from reservoirs, (b) increasing theefficiency of CO2 injection and reducing the cost, and(c) reducing the risk of injection-induced seismicity.
To date time-lapse seismic surveys have been used

22

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

to monitor injected CO2 distribution. However, theinterval of the time-lapse monitoring surveys is long
due to their high cost and it is difficult to continuously
monitor the injected CO 2. In addition, continuous
monitoring of the dynamic CO2 behavior is crucial
for detecting accidental incidents, such as CO 2leakage. To address these issues, the group of PI Tsuji
first developed a continuous monitoring approachto estimate spatio-temporal variation of seismic
velocity using ambient noise. Since this method
constructs virtual seismic data from noise, we canextract subsurface information using only passive
seismometer data. However, the disadvantage also of
this monitoring system that relies on ambient noiseis that the temporal variation of ambient noise would
decrease the monitoring accuracy. To overcome thisproblem, we have developed a new novel monitoring
method for injected CO 2 using a continuous andcontrolled seismic source. This new monitoring
system generating controlled seismic signal is costeffective, with high temporal resolution and accuracy.
By deploying this system to the ongoing CCS projectin Canada, we successfully identified spatial andtemporal variation in the shallow subsurface. Highspatial resolution of our approach makes it possible toidentify leaked CO2. Also, the system’s low cost andhigh temporal resolution are particularly attractive
for long-term monitoring of sequestered CO2. Lastly,a smaller scale system of this monitoring device wasused to monitor geothermal fields of the Kyushu Island.
This effort directly addresses the short-term milestoneof Project 3 of the CO2 Storage Division (Field-scale
CO2 investigation), specifically the milestone: Develop
effective monitoring system.

Selected Research Accomplishments

Hydrogen Materials Compatibility (Lead PI: Dr. Somerday)
Overview
The goal of this division is to provide the basic science that will enable optimization of the cost,
performance, and safety of pressurized hydrogen containment systems. In particular, the objectives include:
development and use of advanced methods for experimentally characterizing the effects of hydrogen on
the fatigue, fracture, and tribological properties of materials; development of models of hydrogen-affected
fatigue, fracture, and tribo-interfaces; and development of next-generation monolithic and functionally
graded materials having lower cost and improved performance (e.g., higher strength) while retaining
resistance to hydrogen-induced degradation.

Next-generation high-strength, low-cost alloy forhydrogen service
Research teams supervised by PI Takaki havepioneered the process of ultra-grain refinement inaustenitic stainless steels. By applying this process to
the low-cost experimental alloy Fe-16Cr-10Ni, yieldstrength was increased three-fold (to 600 MPa) relative
to the conventional grain sized material (Fig. 6.11.
a). As for hydrogen compatibility, two metrics were
met: tensile ductility and fatigue life. As shown in Fig.
6.11.a, the strain to failure of ultra-fine grain (UFG)
Fe-16Cr-10Ni remains above 30% after exposure to
100 MPa hydrogen. Regarding fatigue life, the fatigue
limit (stress amplitude at 107 cycles) for UFG Fe-16Cr10Ni is not degraded by hydrogen (~20 wppm), as
shown in Fig. 6.11.b. To date, no other austenitic
stainless steel can rival this experimental alloy’s
combined attributes: cost-competitive, high strength,
and hydrogen compatible.This achievement fulfills
the mid-term milestone in Project 2 and represents
significant progress toward the ultimate target of
the Hydrogen Materials Compatibility division. One
technological implication of this achievement is that
low-cost, high-strength UFG stainless steels could

replace the benchmark (i.e. SUS316) stainless steel
in hydrogen fuel systems. While these results havenot been transferred to industry, the commercialscale production of UFG stainless steels was recently
demonstrated by Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metals
Corporation.
Mitigation of Hydrogen Embrittlement:
For the first time, a study by PIs Somerday, Kirchheim,
and Sofronis combining experiments and modelinghas revealed the physics governing inhibition of H2accelerated fatigue crack growth by ppm-levels of
O 2. A predictive analytical model was formulated
that accurately quantifies how key variables (e.g.
O 2 concentration and load) affect the onset ofaccelerated crack growth in H2 gas containing trace
O2 concentrations. In parallel, first-principles density
functional theory (DFT) modeling by PI Staykov
revealed the characteristics of hydrogen-oxygencompetitive co-adsorption on iron surfaces that
impede hydrogen uptake into steel. This study not only
set the benchmark for understanding the inhibiting
effect of trace impurities on hydrogen gas-accelerated
crack growth but also spurred further I2CNER research
activities on this topic supported by Air Liquide.

Figure 6.11. Data for Fe-16Cr-10Ni with ultra-fine grain size (d = 1 μm) and conventional grain size (d = 21 μm). (a) Tensile stressvs. strain data after exposure to hydrogen gas up to 100 MPa, (b) Stress amplitude vs. cycles to failure relationships with hydrogenconcentration indicated for each data set.
I2CNER Annual Report 201823

Advancing Fusion of Research Fields

Advancing Fusion of Research Fields
I2CNER’s approach to research bridges multiple spatial, molecular to miles, and temporal scales, nanoseconds to
decades, but it also necessities bridging together scientists and engineers from disparate disciplines: chemistry,
physics, materials science, mechanics, geoscience, and biomimetics. In other words, I2CNER’s research activities
and goals are by nature interdisciplinary and are carried out across division boundaries and international borders.
Bioinspiration
Using bioinspiration, Prof. Miljkovic of the Thermal
Science and Engineering division is exploring theboundaries of wetting through the fusion of mechanicalengineering, material science, entomology, chemistry,and biotechnology. The team was the first to showthat wettability in nature is correlated with taxonomy,life cycle, and reproductive strategies, rather thanhabitat [1]. Using the discovered knowledge, the teamselected insect species to analyze their functional
molecular makeup which govern wettability in orderto create artificial bioinspired scalable metal-based
anti-bacterial superhydrophobic surfaces. This work
enables the development of artificial surfaces forenergy and water applications such as anti-icing, selfcleaning, anti-bacterial, anti-fogging, water harvesting,and enhanced phase change heat transfer.
Mining Biology for New Hydrogen Processing
Catalysts
Mining Biology for New Hydrogen Processing
Catalysts, the group of Prof. Ogo has characterized an
extraordinary H2 oxidation catalyst by bioprospecting.
The catalyst is a hydrogenase found in the bacterium
Citrobacter sp. S-77. This new catalyst tolerates air andcarbon monoxide but is more active than platinum[2]. The new catalyst, which features nickel and iron(not platinum), operates by first splitting hydrogengas (H 2 ) into hydride (H-) and proton (H+). Thisinitial step is followed by the splitting hydride into
electrons (2 e-) and another proton (H+). These results
further demonstrate the dramatic progress and design
attributes made possible through this interdisciplinary
bioorganometallic program [3].
Materials engineering
PIs Horita and Associate Professor Edalati fusing thedisciplines of materials engineering with i) surface
science and crystallography and in collaboration
with PI Akiba discovered the defect activation
mechanism [4] for hydrogen adsorption of TiFe
intermetallics by High Pressure Torsion (HPT), a
promising system for renewable stationary energy

24

I2CNER Annual Report 2018storage; ii) mechanochemistry and in collaboration
with the groups of PIs Ishihara, Yamauchi, andStaykov introduced a new research direction [5] to thedevelopment of new visible-light-active photocatalysts
by stabilizing high-pressure phases through using thehigh-pressure torsion (HPT) approach. It was shownthat unlike thermodynamically stable phases of TiO2
and ZnO which are photocatalytically-active only
under UV light, the high-pressure TiO2-II and rocksaltZnO are active under visible light due to their low
bandgap in good agreement with the first-principles
calculations.
Applied mathematics for energy
Applied mathematics area was mostly split between
computational gas and combustion dynamics andsmart grid research, with two additional groups
dealing with models of porous geomaterials, andstatistical models of pheno-to-genotype function(biomathematics).
Two groups addressed the area of Computational
Gas and Combustion Dynamics. The goal is todevelop predictive tools that incorporate the relevant
combustion physics and chemistry to model, design,and optimize the next generation of low-emission
automotive engines and gas turbines for power
generation. The models of Profs. Matalon (Illinois)and Matsue (I2CNER and IMI) addressing centrallyignited outgrowing flames in laminar and turbulent
media are based on the hydrodynamic theory ofpremixed flames systematically derived from thegeneral governing equations using a multi-scale
approach [6, 7]. The results clarify the physicalmechanisms responsible for the onset of instabilities
and their nonlinear consequences [7]. The group of
PI Watanabe developed highly accurate gas-particle
two-phase large-eddy simulations [8] for phenomena
taking place in a solar assisted biomass gasifier, andin which the turbulent eddies are resolved within
the grid scale through experiments (University of
Adelaide). Efficiently energy conversion of solidmaterial to syngas in a turbulent flow within thegasifier is essential to realize the carbon negativeAdvancing Fusion of Research Fields

hydrogen production system. Their results showed thatthe particle distribution was significantly affected by
the interaction between the turbulent boundary layer
formed on the inner wall of the injector nozzle and theparticles, and this behavior could be classified by theparticle Stokes number.
Four research groups work in the area of Mathematics
for Smart Grid: i) Prof. Bose’s group (Illinois) focusedon algorithm design and game-theoretic analysis ofpower systems and their associated markets. Their
first project deals with security-constrained economic
dispatch (SCED) problems that seek to minimize
dispatch costs within engineering constraints of thegrid [9]. They formulated a novel risk-sensitive SCED
problem that explores the tradeoffs between power
procurement costs and reliability of power delivery
and, designed a scalable distributed algorithm to solve
it. Their second project deals with strategic behaviorof generators in electricity markets and the potential
role of system operators in mitigating their market
power [10]. Precisely, they characterized equilibria in
Cournot/Stackelberg market models and analyzed how
system operators can choose ‘good’ equilibria throughmarket design. These projects provide new techniques
to tackle risks associated with uncertain engineering
components and strategic market participants.
Such risks will only grow as the grid becomes more
complex. ii) The group of Prof. Hirose (IMI) addressed
statistical modeling for energy data analysis. Using
electricity demand data of Chikushi campus in KU,
they developed a regression model that is robust
against outliers to forecast the electricity consumption,
based on the current weather readings and historicobservations [11]. iii) Research of Prof. Nguyen Dinh
Hoa deals with distributed grid optimization withrenewable generation. To this end he developed a
distributed optimization approach called distributed
consensus-based Jacobian alternating direction
method of multipliers (DCJ–ADMM) to assist a
potential mediating agent (operator) in setting prices,with generator and consumer agents adjusting powerin parallel [12]. Prof. Hoa’s work (in collaboration
with Prof. Bose) is the first to prove the convergence ofthe objective function arguments to their optima, forboth centralized and distributed agent-based Mirror
Descent methods [13]. iv) Prof. Murata’s (IMI) groupdealt with consumer modeling in energy markets inwhich the consumer is treated as a decision maker.
They developed a modeling technique aimed at
designing demand response programs (DRPs), basedon an inverse-reinforcement-learning-based techniquethat estimates consumer unhappiness from observed

energy consumption data [14, 15]. They tested DRP
designs on thousands of consumer models. The
developed consumer model is the first ever proposedin which the incentive payment design method for
DRPs is mathematically grounded.
Increasing fundamental understanding of flow
processes relevant to CO 2 storage, the team ofProf. Triadis (IMI), Prof. Jiang (I 2CNER/Yamaguchi
University), and Prof. Bolster (University of Notre
Dame) observed surprisingly persistent anomalous
dispersion in numerical investigations for non-wetting
fluid flow (CO2) in the presence of trapped wetting
phase fluid (brine) [16, 17]. Anomalous dispersion
was insensitive to the applied fluid-fluid slip boundary
conditions, highlighting the primary importance of
the induced complex flow network, rather than theinherent multiphase nature of the flow. We are awareof no other studies that systematically demonstrate
the degree and persistence of anomalous dispersion
in two phase flow resulting from varying molecular
diffusivities and initial tracer distributions, highlighting
strong dependencies on both factors.
Geomorphology using persistent homology: PI Tsuji
and Prof. Shirai (IMI) used the apparatus of applied
topology to characterize pore geometry of rock
structures, in particular to estimate their permeability[18]. As pores are notoriously heterogeneous, they
deployed persistent homology, created exactly tounderstand the geometry where the relevant scales
are apriori unknown. They were the first in developing
novel comparison metrics and predictors based on
persistent homology in structural geology studies [19].
By linking such parameters derived from persistence
diagrams to hydrologic and elastic properties, thisapproach has significant potential to facilitate thedevelopment of new models to predict physical/elastic/
hydraulic properties directly from pore geometry.
In the area of biomathematics Prof. Nishii (IMI) in
collaboration with Mochida (RIKEN) used networkmodels for gene-expression system to understand thegene transcription system, a key regulatory apparatus
in cells [20]. Their goal is to understand which systems
induce heterosis, a genetically driven differencein growth rates. The results could lead to better
understanding of the intricate interconnection of theexpression in plants, which has a potential to impact
the development of promising biofuels (Jatropa curcas)
and revolutionize agriculture.

I2CNER Annual Report 201825

Advancing Fusion of Research Fields

References[1] J. Oh, C.E. Dana, S. Hong, J.K. Román, K.D. Jo,
J.W. Hong, J. Nguyen, D.M. Cropek, M. Alleyne, N.
Miljkovic (2017) Exploring the Role of Habitat on the
Wettability of Cicada Wings, ACS Applied Materials &Interfaces, 9(32), 27173-27184.

Competition, Accepted in INFORMS Mathematics ofOperations Research.

[2] T. Matsumoto, S. Eguchi, H. Nakai, T. Hibino,
K.S. Yoon, S. Ogo (2014) [NiFe]Hydrogenase from
Citrobacter sp. S-77 Surpasses Platinum as an
Electrode for H 2 Oxidation Reaction, Angewandte
Chemie International Edition, 53(34), 8895-8898.

[12] D. Hoa Nguyen, S. Azuma, T. Sugie (2019)
Novel Control Approaches for Demand Responsewith Real-time Pricing using Parallel and Distributed
Consensus-based ADMM, IEEE Transactions on
Industrial Electronics (In Press). (DOI: 10.1109/
TIE.2018.2881938)[3] N.D. Muhd Noor, H. Matsuura, K. Nishikawa, H.
Tai, S. Hirota, J. Kim, J. Kang, M. Tateno, K.S. Yoon, S.
Ogo, S. Kubota, Y. Shomura, Y. Higuchi (2018) Redoxdependent Conformational Changes of a Proximal[4Fe-4S] Cluster in Hyb-type [NiFe]-hydrogenase
To Protect the Active Site from O 2 , Chemical
Communications, 54(87), 12385-12388.
[4] K. Edalati, J. Matsuda, M. Arita, T. Daio, E. Akiba,
Z. Horita (2013) Mechanism of activation of TiFe
intermetallics for hydrogen storage by severe plastic
deformation using high-pressure torsion, Applied
Physics Letters, 103(14), 143902.
[5] H. Razavi-Khosroshahi, K. Edalati, J. Wu, Y.
Nakashima, M. Arita, Y. Ikoma, M. Sadakiyo, Y.
Inagaki, A. Staykov, M. Yamauchi, Z. Horita, M. Fuji
(2017) High-pressure zinc oxide phase as visible-lightactive photocatalyst with narrow band gap, Journal of
Materials Chemistry A, 5(38), 20298-20303.
[6] K. Matsue, S. Mohan and M. Matalon (2019) Effectof gravity on hydrodynamically unstable flames, will
be presented at the 12th Asia-Pacific Conference on
Combustion, Fukuoka, Japan (July 2019).
[7] M. Matalon (2019) The Ramifications of theDarrieus-Landau Instability in Turbulent Premixed
Flames, AIAA Journal, presented at the AIAA Sci-Tech
2019 Forum, San Diego, CA (January 2019). (DOI:
10.2514/6.2019-0182)[8] P. Yu, H. Watanabe, W. Zhang, R. Kurose, T.
Kitagawa (2019) Flamelet model for a three-feed nonpremixed combustion system with diluent stream-Analysis and validation of quasi-two-dimensional
flamelet (Q2DF) models, Energy and Fuels, 33(5),4640-4650.
(DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.9b00764)[9] A. N. Madavan, S. Bose, Y. Guo, L. Tong (2019)
Risk-Sensitive Security-Constrained Economic
Dispatch via Critical Region Exploration, Acceptedfor presentation at the IEEE Power and Energy Society
General Meeting.
[10] D. Cai, S. Bose, A. Wierman, S. Low (2018)
The Role of a Market Maker in Networked Cournot

26

I2CNER Annual Report 2018[11] K. Hirose, H. Masuda (2018) Robust relative error
estimation, Entropy, 20(9), 632.

[13] T. T. Doan, S. Bose, D. Hoa Nguyen, C. L. Beck(2019) Convergence of the Iterates in Mirror Descent
Methods, IEEE Control Systems Letters, 3(1), 114-119.
[14] M. Murakami, R. Funaki and J. Murata (2017)
Design of Incentive-Based Demand Response
Programs Using Inverse Optimization, 2017 IEEE
International Conference on Systems, Man, andCybernetics (SMC2017), 2754-2759.
[15] M. Murakami, R. Funaki, T. Matsumura, J. Murata(2016) Modeling of consumer behaviors and incentive
design in demand response programs, Symposium on
Systems and Information, GS01-13, 2016.
[16] D. Triadis, F. Jiang, D. Bolster (2019) Anomalous
dispersion in pore-scale simulations of two-phase flow,
Transport in Porous Media, 126(2), 337-353. (DOI:
10.1007/s11242-018-1155-6)[17] A. Fakhari, Y. Li, D. Bolster, K. T. Christensen (2018)
A phase-field lattice Boltzmann model for simulating
multiphase flows in porous media: Application andcomparison to experiments of CO2 sequestration atpore scale, Advances in Water Resources, 114, 119134.
[18] F. Jiang, T. Tsuji, T. Shirai (2018) Pore Geometry
Characterization by Persistent Homology Theory,
Water Resources Research, 54(6), 4150-4163.
(DOI:10.1029/2017WR021864)[19] T. Tsuji, F. Jiang, A. Suzuki, T. Shirai (2018)
Mathematical Modeling of Rock Pore Geometry andMineralization: Applications of Persistent Homology
and Random Walk, Agriculture as a Metaphor for
Creativity in All Human Endeavors, 95-109.
(DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-7811-8_11)[20] S. Koda, Y. Onda, H. Matsui, K. Takahagi, Y.
Uehara-Yamaguchi, M. Shimizu, K. Inoue, T. Yoshida,
T. Sakurai, H. Honda, S. Eguchi, R. Nishii and K.
Mochida (2017) Diurnal transcriptome and gene
network represented through sparse modeling in
Brachypodium distachyon, Frontiers in Plant Science,
28, 2055. (DOI:10.3389/fpls.2017.02055)

Returning Results to Society

Returning Results to Society
The relevance of the I 2CNER research efforts andobjectives toward enabling the green innovation
initiative of the government of Japan is demonstrated
by the large number (122) of collaborative projects inwhich its researchers are involved with industry. A totalof 53 projects resulted in technology transfer events.
A detailed list of all the I2CNER Technology Transfer
Events is outlined in the report “Technology Transfer
Summary: I2CNER’s Interaction with and Impact on
Industry”. In FY18, I2CNER filed for 16 patents, andwas granted 8, bringing the total number of patentapplications since inception to 239 and patents
awarded to 67.
Representative examples of technology transfer
include: i) PI Ishihara’s transfer of dual carbon battery
technology for energy recovery from automobiles
to Ricoh Co. Ltd., ii) PI Matsumoto’s discovery of
optimum chemical compositions of proton-conducting
electrolytes and electrodes specifically suitable forsteam electrolysis has been transferred to Nippon
Shokubai Co., Ltd. for the development of a steam
electrolyzer operating at 600°C for mass productionof hydrogen from solar energy (Fig. 7.1), iii) PI
Takata’s group has provided the Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries, Central Glass Corp with fundamental
data on thermophysical and transport properties,
and heat transfer characteristics of newly developed
refrigerants for the design of commercial products

Figure 7.1. Steam electrolysis,
PI Matsumoto with Nippon Shokubai Co.

of high temperature heat supply heat pump, iv) Prof.
Akiba worked with IWATANI Co. Ltd to develop highperformance hydrogen absorbing alloys suitable forstationary hydrogen storage; v) PI Yamauchi’s synthetic
method for the preparation of atomically well mixed
Fe-Ni nanoalloys has been transferred to Daido
Steel, vi) PI Fujikawa’s functional nanomembrane
technology for gas separation has been transferred
to Nanomembrane Technology Inc. for upscale
development, vii) PI Tsuji’s innovative continuous CO2
monitoring system in collaboration with the Japan
Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC)
has been transferred and deployed in the ongoingCO2 sequestration project in Saskatchewan, Canada(Fig. 7.2), viii) PI Sugimura’s studies of diamondlike carbon (DLC) coatings in collaboration with Kitz
corporation on the wear of candidate coatings in thepresence of hydrogen contributed to the developmentof 100 MPa hydrogen flow valve, which is now inpractical use in hydrogen refueling stations, ix) The
results of Prof. Itaoka’s investigation on the hydrogen
refueling stations and supply infrastructure for Japan
have been submitted to the Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry of Japan in the form of 73-page report in
February 2017, and x) PI Fujigaya received funding
in FY18 from KU and the Fukuoka Bank for a startup
company called FUJIcat on novel electrocatalysts.

Figure 7.2. Continuous CO2 monitoring
system deployed in Canada, PI Tsuji with
JOGMEC.

Figure 7.3. Novel metal seal for H2
storage, PI Kubota with TOKI Engineering.

I2CNER Annual Report 201827

Network of International Collaborations
1

Network of International Collaborations
Universityof Bergen
UniversityofEdinburgh

SINTEF/NTNU

University of
WisconsinMadison

University
of Göttingen

Colorado
School of
Mines

Helmholtz
Zentrum
Geesthacht

Tsinghua
University

ETH Zurich

KyushuUniversity
Universityof Thessaly

Universiti
Teknologi
Malaysia

Universityof Notre Dame
Department ofEnergyAir Resources Board of
the State of California

Universityof Oxford
Imperial
CollegeLondonUniversity of
Illinois
at UrbanaChampaign

Bandung
Institute ofTechnology
RMIT
University

University ofCalifornia, Berkeley
University ofCalifornia,
Irvine/NFCRC

Massachusetts
Institute ofTechnology

Southwest
Research
Institute

University of
New South
Wales

University ofTexas at Austin

Figure 8. This map includes the home institutions of I2CNER’s foreign WPI Faculty as well as thoseinstitutions with which I2CNER has academic agreements.

Globalization by the numbers
In FY2018 there was a vast amount of international
activities that enhanced I2CNER’s global visibility.
The Institute’s researchers were responsible fororganizing, co-organizing, or serving on the scientificcommittees for (i) 21 (207 in total since inception)international conferences, (ii) 44 international
conference sessions/symposia or workshops (278 in
total since inception), and (iii) 10 I2CNER international
workshops (68 in total since inception).
Our researchers have given 107 keynote, plenary andinvited presentations in international conferences andfora (565 in total since inception).
Our researchers have joint publications withresearchers from 38 new institutions (573 in total since
inception).
As of March 31, 2019, the Institute has hosted a totalof 73 graduate/undergraduate students from various
institutions around the world, including Illinois, since
its inception. The numbers of visiting students are1(FY2010), 9 (FY2011), 6 (FY2012), 7 (FY2013), 7(FY2014), 6 (FY2015), 10 (FY2016), 17 (FY2017), and
10 (FY2018) of which, 1, 6, 1, 3, 1, 3, 8, 14, and 10
respectively, stayed for more than a month at KU. Of
the total 73, 38 students were from Illinois and 23 ofthese students stayed for more than a month.

28

I2CNER Annual Report 2018(i) Int'l conferences (total 207)

186

FY2010-17
FY201821(ii) Int'l sessions/symposia/workshops (total 278)

234

44

(iii) I 2CNER int'l workshops(total68)

58

10Lectures in int'l conferences/fora (total 565)

458

107

Institutionswith which I 2CNER resherchers have joint
publications(total 573)

535

38

Visiting students (total 73)

63

10

Network of International Collaborations

Partnership for International Research and Education(PIRE)
PIRE, a cooperative program between NSF and JSPS,
is one of the most prestigious and competitive awards
amongst the international programs of NSF. PIRE
provides funding for international joint research carriedout between US universities and their counterpartsin Japan in order to generate new knowledge anddiscoveries; promote a diverse, globally engaged U.S./
Japan workforce; and build the institutional capacityof U.S./Japan institutions to engage in productive
international collaborations. The joint PIRE award
to Illinois and I 2CNER, “Integrated Computational
Materials Engineering for Active Materials andInterfaces in Chemical Fuel Production,” is a result of
I2CNER’s successful fusion of computational science
with experiment, and was awarded beginning in FY
2015 for a total of 5 years. The project brings together
researchers from Illinois, Kyushu, Northwestern
University, Imperial College London, and the
University of California at Berkeley (UCB). This projectis also an example of the synergistic capabilities of
the KU-Illinois partnership. In FY2018, under the
2-month PIRE/x-FU(s)ION (eXchange: FUkuoka,
Illinois, califOrnia, Northwestern) exchange program,6 American students (5 from Illinois and 1 from UCB)
carried out research at I2CNER from June 4-August 3,
2018.

Ion Transport (SOIFIT)” and was awarded beginningin FY2017 for a total of 5 years. Three of I 2CNER
postdocs visited the counterpart research institutions
for more than 1 month: Dr. V. Thoréton in Imperial
College, London for 5 weeks; Dr. D. Klotz in MIT for
1.5 months; Dr. K. Ghuman Kaur in PSI for 2 months.
Collaborative Foreign Exchange Program
In July 2013, I2CNER established the “Collaborative
Foreign Exchange Program” in order to encourage
young researchers to visit our overseas collaborating
institutions. So far, 21 young researchers had their
proposals approved, and 14 of them visited the Illinois
Satellite for the extended period between one andnine months. Through this program, in FY2017, Prof.
S. Harish stayed at the University of Edinburgh for
5 months and Prof. N. D. Hoa stayed at the Illinois
Satellite, each for 5 months. In FY2018, Prof. D.
Orejon also spent 4 months at the Illinois Satellite.
Partnership with the University of Göttingen
Prof. Reiner Kirchheim, an elected member of theUnited States National Academy of Engineering, andProf. Sofronis, I2CNER’s Director, lead the collaboration
between Kyushu University and the University of
Göttingen to establish an International ResearchTraining Group that is to be co-funded by the DFG
and JSPS. On January 6, 2018, Profs. Cynthia Volkert
and Christian Jooss from the University of Göttingen
visited I2CNER. In April 2018, a two-day KU/Göttingenworkshop was also organized at Göttingen and the
KU and Göttingen teams identified and constructed
the research themes of the joint proposal. In the
proposed joint Ph.D. program, Ph.D. students willvisit the counterpart institute for 1 year to participate
in research/educational activities. The concept paper
is currently being finalized for submission to DFG
this Summer, with the full proposal to be submitted in
Spring 2020. Similarly, the full proposal for JSPS will
be submitted this Fall.

x-FU(s)ION exchange students participate in a tour of Prof.
Selyanchyn’s lab

JSPS Core-to-Core Program
The JSPS Core-to-Core program is designed tocreate world-class research centers that have lasting
partnerships with research institutions around theworld in order to advance research in leading-edge
fields regarding issues of high international priority.
Core-to-Core provides funding for an international
joint research project carried out between I 2CNER,
Imperial College, London, Paul Scherrer Institut(PSI, Switzerland), and the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology on “Solid Oxide Interfaces for FasterProf. Cynthia A. Volkert (University of Göttingen) engages in a
discussion

I2CNER Annual Report 201829

Energy Transitions and the Role of CCS toward a Carbon-Neutral Energy Society

Energy Transitions and the Role of CCS toward a CarbonNeutral Energy Society (2019 I CNER Annual Symposium)
22019 I2CNER Annual Symposium group photo

I2CNER Director, Prof. Petros
Sofronis, delivers opening remarks(left to right) Prof. Geert Verbong, Eindhoven University of Technology; Dr. Jill Engel-Cox, U.S.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Prof. Michael Celia, Princeton University

Since its inception, I2CNER has held a symposium
on an annual basis, which has evolved over timefrom an event that celebrates the current researchachievements of its thematic research areas (divisions)to an exploratory forum that focuses on a single
research topic that is highly relevant in I 2CNER’s
research portfolio and the international community.
In addition, in order to explore new pathways tobest accomplish their thematic research areas, eachof I2CNER’s divisions holds international workshops
two days later by inviting several researchers andengineers.
The 2019 I 2CNER Annual Symposium, which was
titled “Energy Transitions and the Role of CCS toward a

30

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

Carbon-Neutral Energy Society”, was held on January
31, 2019 and was attended by 150 participants (26from overseas). This symposium brought together
top level researchers both from Japan and abroad
to discuss the issues surrounding the transition toa low-carbon energy future, considering both the
deployment of renewable energy and the role of CCS.
Through discussion and exchange of ideas in the
symposium, participants explored ideal technologicalcombinations, policy approaches, as well as emerging
opportunities, and assessed where I2CNER’s research
activities should be focused on a moving-forwardbasis. The symposium included 6 invited lectures
including a lecture titled “Clean Energy Technologies

for Economic Transitions” by Dr. Jill Engel-Cox,
Director of Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis
at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and alecture titled “CCS and its Role in the Low-Carbon

Energy Transition” by Prof. Michael Celia, a Nobel
Laureate from Princeton University’s Department ofCivil and Environmental Engineering.

January 31, 2019
Opening Remarks

Dr. Chiharu Kubo, President, Kyushu University
Dr. Akira Ukawa, WPI Program Director, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Mr. Ross Matzkin-Bridger, Energy Attaché, U.S. Embassy Tokyo, and Director, U.S. Department of Energy’s Japan OfficeProf. Petros Sofronis, Director, I2CNER, Kyushu University

Speaker

Title

Prof. Geert Verbong(Eindhoven University of Technology)

Invited Lecture
Understanding Transitions: the Case of the Energy Transition

Dr. Jill Engel-Cox(U.S. National Renewable Energy
Laboratory)

Invited Lecture
Clean Energy Technologies for Economic Transitions

Prof. Kenshi Itaoka(I2CNER, Kyushu University)

I 2CNER Energy Transition Efforts for a Carbon-Neutral Energy
SocietyProf. Michael Celia(Princeton University)

Invited Lecture
CCS and its Role in the Low-Carbon Energy Transition

Prof. Takeshi Tsuji(I2CNER, Kyushu University)

Monitoring for Effective and Safe CO2 Storage

Mr. Hitoshi Nissaka(Ministry of the Environment)

Invited Lecture
Overview of Climate Change Measures and Proactive Initiatives for
Realizing CCS in Japan

Dr. Makoto Akai
Invited Lecture(National Institute of Advanced Industrial
CCS as a Vital Option towards a Sustainable Future
Science and Technology)
Dr. David Reiner(University of Cambridge)

Invited Lecture
Energy Transitions, Moral Hazard and Magical Thinking

Wrap up and Implications
Prof. Andrew Chapman (I2CNER, Kyushu University)
Prof. Michael Celia (Princeton University)

An audience member poses a question

Participants discuss during the poster session

I2CNER Annual Report 201831

Distingushed Visitors

Distinguished Visitors

January 12, 2018 Mr. Fuminori Kishino (second from right),
General Manager, Power and Industrial Systems R&D Center,Toshiba

April 9, 2018 Mr. Nicholas Hill (third from left),
Embassy’s Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs

April 24, 2018 Dr. Yves BRECHET (second from left), HighCommissioner, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy
Commission (CEA), France

October 23, 2018 Dr. Espen Steinseth Hamborg (middle),
Principal Researcher Process Technology Downstream, Equinor

900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0

U.S.

Total Number of Visitors Per Year816 851

403 407455 424342

108

March 1, 2019 Prof. Sea-Fue Wang (right), President, National
Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan
I 2CNER has always hosted a large number of visitors andstudents but in 2017 and 2018 I2CNER increased its student
outreach efforts and hosted several more school field trips.

32

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

Seminars

Seminars
The I2CNER Seminar Series (ISS)One of the most important goals of the I2CNER Seminar Series is to engage key members of the international communityfrom academia, national laboratories, industry, and government agencies (policy makers). In FY2018, the Institute hosted
a total of 10 speakers (7 non-Japanese) in 10 I2CNER Seminars. Cumulatively, 161 speakers have presented at 157 I2CNER
Seminars.

Selected ISS speakers
August 2, 2018
Prof. Nicholas Kotov

Professor, University of Michigan, USA
Title: Self-Organization of Biomimetic Nanoparticles

October 10, 2018
Prof. Pailin Ngaotrakanwiwat

Assistant Professor, Burapha University, Thailand
Title: WO3-CuS Photochromic smart window

November 7, 2018
Prof. John Andrews

Professor, School of Engineering RMIT University,
Australia
Title: The role of hydrogen energy technologies incombating climate change: Is a ‘proton battery’ theanswer?

December 5, 2018
Prof. Luca Brandt

Professor, Fluid Mechanics KTH Stockholm, Sweden
Title: Numerical simulations of turbulent flows ofparticle suspensions

December 7, 2018
Prof. Janusz S. Szmyd

Head - Dept. of Fundamental Research in Energy
Engineering AGH University of Science andTechnology, Poland
Title: Numerical Modelling of Transport Phenomena in
SOFC Systems

March 15, 2019
Prof. Nobuhiro Kosugi

Director, Institute of Materials Structure Science KEK,
Japan
Title: Progress in molecular X-ray absorption
spectroscopy

Institute Interest Seminar Series (IISS)
Since the inception of the Institute, young researchers have been giving presentations at the Institute Interest Seminar
Series (IISS), the goal of which is to initiate interdisciplinary collaborations and train young researchers to present before
general scientific audiences outside their areas of expertise. In FY 2018, a total of 44 speakers presented at 23 InstituteInterest Seminars. Cumulatively, 256 speakers have presented at 158 Institute Interest Seminars.

Selected IISS speakers
April 20, 2018
Yutaku Kita (Ph.D. Student)

July 5, 2018
Dr. Vlad Bogdan Niste

May 31, 2018
Dr. Hadi Farabi Asl

October 25, 2018
Dr. Dino Klotz

June 14, 2018
Dr. Miho Isegawa

December 13, 2018
Dr. Qing Wang

Thermal Science and Engineering Division
Title: Drop Mobility on Microtextured Surfaces with
Wettability Contrasts

Energy Analysis Division
Title: Research background and current research topics
in EAD, I2CNER

Catalytic Materials Transformations Division
Title: DFT investigation on H2 and O2 activation by
bio-inspired NiFe complexes

Hydrogen Materials Compatibility Division
Title: Adapting lubricant additive reactivity to control
the hydrogen embrittlement of bearing steels

Electrochemical Energy Conversion Division
Title: Generalized Electrochemical ImpedanceSpectroscopy (GEIS) in Solid State Ionics

Molecular Photoconversion Devices Division
Title: Photo/electro-catalytic activity of ceramics
produced by high pressure torsion

March 4, 2019
Dr. Tatsunori Ikeda

CO2 Storage Division
Title: Monitoring of seismic velocity in CO2 storagesites using a continuous and controlled seismic source

I2CNER Annual Report 201833

Selected Awards

Selected Awards
DATE

AWARD / PRIZE

AWARDING ORGANIZATIONAWARD RECIPIENT

Chihaya Adachi

Apr. 2018

Prize for Science and Technology, The
Commendation for Science andTechnology

Minister of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology

May 2018

The Hult Prize

Hult Prize

Jun. 2018

ASME ICNMM Outstanding Leadership
Award

American Society of MechanicalEngineers

Yasuyuki Takata

Jun. 2018

DOE Early Career AwardThe Department of Energy

Nicola H. Perry

Sep. 2018

Incentive Award

The Japan Society for Analytical
Chemistry

Yukina Takahashi

Nov. 2018

The Early Career Scientist Award

The International Union of
Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG)

Takeshi Tsuji

M. L. Palash, Mahbubul
Muttakin, Md. Amirul Islam,Tahmid Hasan Rupam(from left) Mahbubul Muttakin, Md. Amirul Islam, Tahmid Hasan Rupam and M. L. Palash receiving The Hult Prize

Prof. Takata receiving ASME ICNMM Outstanding
Leadership Award

34

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

Prof. Takahashi receiving Incentive Award

Outreach Activities

Outreach Activities
Publications
Hello! I2CNER / Energy Outlook
As a part of our efforts to promote the research
activities of I²CNER to the next generation of scientists(e.g. high school students), we publish a newsletter
entitled “Hello! I 2 CNER.” The newsletter, whichhighlights the research activities of one of the Institute’s
research divisions in each issue, is published about
three times per year. It is our goal for this publication to
help increase general interest in carbon-neutral energy
research amongst the next generation of scientists.
In order to provide a more formal perspective on thepotential impact I 2CNER’s research could have on
the world, each issue of Hello! I2CNER is publishedsimultaneously with another publication, Energy
Outlook. The main objective of Energy Outlook is topresent to the public the perspectives of industry and government on energy issues. To this end, the main article
in nearly every Energy Outlook is an interview of an industry or government official by an I2CNER researcher,which provides the public with a candid view of how an industry or a branch of the government deals with a given
energy issue. This regular interaction with industry and government officials not only allows I2CNER to facilitate
public awareness of new technologies, which is a vital part of outreach for the Institute, but also provides I2CNER
researchers with opportunities to gauge the relevance of their ongoing basic research projects against industry andgovernment perspectives.

Important energy issues (Special Interviews from Energy Outlook)
Building Japan’s Energy System: The Strategic
Thinking We Need and Initiatives for Implementing It
When we look at reducing CO2 emissions from thestandpoint of separating and capturing CO 2 fromlarge-scale sources, we can divide the associatedtechnologies into three broad categories: liquid
absorbents, adsorbents, and separation membranes.
The performance of liquid absorbents has prettymuch reached a limit, so there’s not much room
for improvement there. Similarly, adsorbents thatuse porous materials like zeolite *1 are also close
to their limit. RITE is conducting research into asolid absorbent bearing amines*2, but that also has
its limits. CO 2 capture from natural gas, which isalready at high pressure, and from pre-combustion
exhaust gases in IGCC*3 (integrated coal gasification
combined cycle) does not require pressurization,
so separation membranes are ideal for those tasks.
If the goal is to promote separation membranes, agood approach would be to package constructionof coal-fired thermal power plants with CO2 capturesystems. There’s a large market for natural gas, and thetechnology could become a means of reducing CO2
emissions that offers cost advantages.
In its pursuit of basic research into separation
membrane materials, I2CNER is focusing on efficient

CO2 capture using separation membrane methods,
specifically CCU *4 and CCS *5 (carbon capture andutilization/storage). Our goal is for basic technologies
to be commercialized in the future, and in the fieldof fuel cells, there are researchers who are alreadyworking on demonstration testing. In addition to CCS
research, I 2CNER is also conducting research into
CCU, in which CO2 undergoes electroreduction toconvert it into CO. If we can get to that stage thenthere are already technologies available for chemicallyconverting it into a valuable resource. We alreadyhave enhanced recovery of oil and gas using captured
CO2 (EOR and EGR)*6.
Japan has found itself in an extremely special energy
situation since the Great East Japan Earthquake of
2011. We need to create an energy system for Japan
with an optimal mix of energy sources based onevidence in the form of exhaustive calculations. We
need to create institutions that can formulate a proper
strategy, and then disseminate and implement thatstrategy.
Notes*1

Zeolite: A general name for crystalline aluminosilicates.
In addition to molecular sieve effects that result from pores
deriving from the material’s skeletal structure, zeolites’
characteristics include adsorptive capability.

I2CNER Annual Report 201835

Outreach Activities*2

Amine: A general name for compounds in which hydrogenatoms in ammonia are replaced by a hydrocarbon group or
an aromatic atom group. Amines exhibit affinity with CO2.
*3IGCC (integrated coal gasification combined cycle): A
power generation system that improves the efficiency of
conventional coal-fired thermal power by gasifying coal as
an input for combined-cycle generation.
*4
CCU (carbon capture and utilization): The process ofreusing captured and sequestered CO2.
*5CCS (carbon capture and storage): The processof separating and capturing CO 2 and then storing it
underground.
*6
EOR/EGR (enhanced oil/gas recovery): A technique forpressurizing CO2 that has been separated and captured inorder to improve oil and natural gas recovery efficiency.

Exploring Renewable Energy: A Discussion on
Incorporating Sustainable Resources into Our
Everyday Lives
Currently, renewable energy has grown to be morecommercial, particularly certain types including solar,
wind, and hydropower. We need to focus on theindustrial sector, and the agricultural sector as theseare some of the areas where renewable energy hasn’t
been fully addressed yet. Many cities and states arestarting to think about going 100% renewable or 100%
low carbon. That is very easy to say, but it is very hard
to really achieve. There are two different approaches toenergy supply that do not rely on conventional fossil
fuels. To achieve the goal of renewable energy, it isnecessary to combine the fully centralized approachand the decentralized approach. It depends on thelocation itself and what baseline you begin with in thearea. We need to consider what kind of existing grid
systems are already there, how centralized the system
is now, and what existing power systems are alreadybuilt.
Separating consumer activity in Japan's energy
market by intention, divided into three major groups.
We found that only a small percentage were early
adopters. Then, there is a very big group in the middle
and an equally large group at the bottom that just wait
for the government to say they have to begin using aparticular system.
Active, voluntary participation in the energy market

Seeking economic and environmental
benefits through new market products& services (~14.6%)

Act depending on opportunity& information about benefits (~41%)
Avoid hassle, remaining
indifferent to new market
products & services(~44.4%)
Not voluntarily participating in the new market, waiting
to realize the benefits of energy infrastructure changes

Figure 9. Consumer activeness tiers in the Japanese energy market.

36

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

One of the big challenges is for the technology people
to work with the social scientists, economists, andothers to think about how to bring these solutions
forward in a way that people are going to be excitedabout and accepting of them and not resistant.
Inspiring Future Generations: The Importance ofCarbon Capture Storage and Understanding Human
Environmental Impacts
It’s an important point – the fact that you approach
this with a seismology background. I think it gives adifferent perspective and you are thinking about oneof the major issues with CCS which is: ‘How should
we think about the risk of creating earthquakes byinjecting huge amounts of fluid underground?’. You
need expertise in earthquakes and seismology in orderto think about that problem in the right way. The major
technology that is currently expected to be able to dothat is the combination of bioenergy with CCS, thatis an order of 10 gigatons a year ramping up. All ofthese scenarios for how we can realistically solve thecarbon problem involve massive amounts of CCS. The
challenge that we have is to go from where we aretoday, to what these future projections are assuming
will happen.
Negative emissions *7 is a very important concept
for carbon reduction. At the moment, there is noviable human-made technology that works at scale
for the extraction of huge amounts of CO2 from theatmosphere. That’s why the technology that is referred
to as ‘BECCS’ *8 (bio-energy with carbon captured
storage) is what’s pointed to in these reports. That’s
the technology that we know has some reasonablechance to work right now. It is important to reducelarge amounts of CO2, and CCS could achieve thelarge-scale CO 2 emission reduction. However, thegeneral perception is that CCS has not gained traction
worldwide toward decarbonizing the environment.
In the U.S., there are interesting possibilities at the
moment. About a year ago in 2018, a new tax bill was
passed. In that tax bill are tax credits for CCS. The tax
credits are at a significant level, up to $50 per ton if
you capture the CO2 and use it for direct storage, andup to $35 a ton if you use it for enhanced oil recovery.
The role of academic institutions, such as I2CNER, isthat they increase the motivation of young researchers
to work on research in the CCS in the area. We
continue our research activities for carbon emission
reduction, and also try to educate young scientists tosave our planet earth.
Notes
*7

Negative emissions: A reduction in the amount of CO2that is in the atmosphere.
*8
BECCS (bio-energy with carbon captured storage): A
technology that has the potential to mitigate greenhousegases.

Outreach Activities

Outreach Events2018 E-MRS Spring Meeting (June 18-22, 2018)
WPI was represented by four WPI centers, including I2CNER, at the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS)2018 Spring Meeting in Strasbourg, France from June 18 to 22. Founded in 1983, today the E-MRS has morethan 4,000 members. I2CNER, along with AIMR, iCeMS and MANA, ran the WPI booth throughout the event,and hosted a reception entitled "Come together + Japanese Drink Tasting" on June 19, where researchers from thefour WPI centers mingled with other E-MRS attendees. On the June 20, the WPI program was jointly featured in aworkshop titled “STAM-WPI Joint Symposium.” Prof. Watanabe from I2CNER gave his presentation to showcase his
latest research findings.
Innovation Japan 2018-University show (August 30-31, 2018)
From August 30 to 31, 2018, the “Innovation Japan 2018 – University Show,” which was organized by the Japan
Science and Technology Agency (JST), was held at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, and Prof. Ikuo Taniguchi (CO2 Captureand Utilization Division) ran a booth. “Innovation Japan” is one of the largest industry-academia matching eventsin Japan which has more than 20,000 visitors each year. The main purpose of the event is promoting technology
transfer and passing on research outcomes from universities and official organizations to the society. Supporting
industry-academia matching toward the practical use is also one of the missions. Prof. Taniguchi explained his
research on “Low-temperature processable degradable plastics” to the visitors. He conducted a plastic pressure
molding test and demonstrated that it can be shaped at room temperature. Many participants from both industries
and research institutions visited his booth seeking a possibility of future collaborative research.
59th Science Café at Fukuoka (September 21, 2018)
Prof. Ki-Seok Yoon (Catalytic Materials Transformations Division) gave a lecture at the “59th Science Café @Fukuoka,” which was held in a business event space in the heart of the city at 7 p.m. on September 21, 2018. The
59th Science Café @ Fukuoka drew an audience of approximately 40 people. In his presentation titled, “Unveilingthe H2-oxidation and CO2-fixation of Hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria” Prof. Yoon introduced his research on new
O2-tolerant H2-oxidizing and CO2-fixing enzymes, which can contribute to the development of novel biomimetic
catalysts for H2-activation and CO2-fixation. The lecture was followed by a roundtable talk, in which participants
discussed their views on immediate energy issues and showed keen interest in the development of the latest ecoconscious technologies.
15th Anniversary Event of JSPS at San Francisco (January 24-25, 2019)
Director Petros Sofronis and Prof. Toshinori Matsushima (Molecular Photoconversion Devices Division) from
I2CNER gave presentations at the 15th anniversary event of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science’s (JSPS)
San Francisco office. The event, “World Premier Research in Japan”, was held at the University of California,
Berkeley and Stanford University on January 24 and 25, respectively.
Since its establishment in 2003, JSPS San Francisco has been promoting academic and research exchange between
the U.S. and Japan, and has been working to invite leading researchers from the U.S. to Japan. At this event, 4
WPI centers, Kavli IPMU, AIMR, I2CNER, and ITbM, were invited as examples of highly internationalized research
institutions with the best–in-class research achievements in Japan. The two-day event attracted 110 people
including faculty, researchers, students, and personnel from industries.

Prof. Yoon gives his lecture at the 59th Science Caféat Fukuoka

Prof. Matsushima gives his presentation at the 15th
Anniversary Event of JSPS at San Francisco

I2CNER Annual Report 201837

Outreach Activities

Press Releases and Media Coverage
Selected Press Releases
DATE

DESCRIPTION

May. 25, 2018

Prof. Yukihiro Higashi (Research Center for Next Generation Refrigerant Properties)
Developed new equation of state for low- Global Warming Potential refrigerant and registeredin world standard database “NIST REFPROP”

Jul. 3, 2018

Profs. Chihaya Adachi and Hajime Nakanotani (Molecular Photoconversion Devices Division)
Exciton limits are meant to be broken: OLED surpasses 100% exciton production efficiency

Jul. 19, 2018

Prof. Andrew Chapman (Energy Analysis Division)
Describing research about Kuznets Curve application and findings for CO2 emissions andurban development

Jul. 19, 2018

Prof. Andrew Chapman (Energy Analysis Division)
Kyushu and Matsuyama University successful in deriving a new method for estimating urban
emissions

Selected Media Coverage
DATE

DESCRIPTION

Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun (Jul. 6)

Profs. Chihaya Adachi and Hajime Nakanotani
Newspaper article covering the press release“Exploiting singlet fission in organic light-emitting
diodes”

Jul. 2018

Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Jul. 19)

Prof. Andrew Chapman
Newspaper article covering the press release “Ananalysis of urban environmental Kuznets curve of
CO 2 emissions: Empirical analysis of 276 global
metropolitan areas”

Jan. 2019

Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting (Jan. 8)
NHK Fukuoka (Jan. 8 and 9)
RKB Mainichi Broadcasting (Jan. 8)

Prof. Atsushi Takahara
TV news covering a new electric vehicle made of a
newly-developed, light and tough polymer

Jul. 2018

38

MEDIA OUTLETI2CNER Annual Report 2018

I2CNER Structure

I2CNER Structure
Organizational Structure

PRESIDENT OF KYUSHU UNIVERSITY:
Chiharu Kubo
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH:
Kazuhide Inoue

ILLINOIS SATELLITE INSTITUTE
I2CNER DIRECTOR:
Petros Sofronis

SATELLITE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Ian Robertson, Andrew Gewirth,(All committees and units have direct access to the Director)

Kenneth Christensen

EXTERNAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE(EAC)1
INTERNAL PROGRAMS REVIEW COMMITTEE(IPRC)SCIENCESTEERINGCOMMITTEE2FACULTYRECRUITINGCOMMITTEESUPER RESEARCHASSISTANTSELECTIONCOMMITTEEASSOCIATE
DIRECTOR:ASSOCIATE
DIRECTOR:ADMINISTRATIVEOFFICE

TatsumiIshihara

Yasuyuki
TakataADMINISTRATIVEDIRECTOR:
Shunichi Masuda

Industrial Advisory Board3
Industrial Research Unit4

RESEARCH DIVISIONS (Thematic Clusters)
Molecular Photoconversion Devices
Catalytic Materials Transformations
Hydrogen Materials Compatibilty
CO2 Capture and Utilization
Electrochemical Energy Coversion
CO2 Storage
Thermal Sciences and Engineering
Energy Analysis (Applied Math for Energy)

Research Center for
Next Generation
Refrigerant Properties(NEXT-RP)

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

39

I2CNER Structure1) The External Advisory Committee (EAC) makes recommendations on the current status of the Institute and its
future directions, and provides the Director with a written report detailing their findings and recommendations. The
full list of members as of April 1, 2019 is as follows:• Dr. Deborah Myers (Chair), Argonne National Laboratory, USA• Dr. Kevin Ott (Vice-Chair), Retired, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA• Prof. Ronald J. Adrian, Arizona State University, USA, National Academy of Engineering (NAE)• Dr. Robert J. Finley, Illinois State Geological Survey, USA• Prof. Reiner Kirchheim, University of Göttingen, Germany• Prof. Robert McMeeking, University of California, USA, National Academy of Engineering (NAE)• Prof. Tetsuo Shoji, Tohoku University, Japan• Prof. Fraser Armstrong, University of Oxford, UK, Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)• Prof. Michael Celia, Princeton University, USA, Nobel Laureate• Dr. Monterey Gardiner, BMW Japan (formerly with DOE), Japan2) The Science Steering Committee (SSC) is chaired by the Director, and its members are the two Associate
Directors and the lead PIs of the thematic research divisions. The SSC is the body that reviews and advises on all
matters of the Institute, e.g. planning and operation of research activities, budget implementation, international
collaborations, and outreach.

3) In FY2017, I2CNER established the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), whose members are prominent executives
from industry, government agencies, and national laboratories that advise I2CNER on opportunities for interactions
with industry and technology transfer. The first IAB meeting was held on February 1, 2018 and was attended by 9
out of 10 IAB members. The meeting provided invaluable inputs to I2CNER researchers in regards to research areasthat industries would have interest for promoting the development of new technologies. The full list of members asof April 1, 2019 is as follows (in no particular order):• Dr. Hiroyuki Yamamoto, General Manager, Technical Research Center in Mazda Motor Corporation• Dr. Akira Yamada, Senior Corporate Adviser, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Dr. Akira Yabe, Lead of Energy System and Hydrogen Unit, Technology Strategy Center in New Energy andIndustrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)• Dr. Mark Selby, Chief Technology Officer, Ceres Power, USA• Mr. Tatsumi Maeda, Advisor, KYOCERA Corporation• Mr. Kazutoshi Ida, Managing Director, K.K. AIR LIQUIDE LABORATORIES• Dr. Kuniaki Honda, Adviser, Hydrogen Energy Systems Society of Japan• Dr. Katsuhiko Hirose, Project General Manager, Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Promotion Group in R&D
Management Division of TOYOTA Motor Corporation• Dr. Akio Fujibayashi, Technical Fellow, Steel Research Laboratory in JFE Steel Corporation• Mr. Sumitoshi Asakuma, Director & Managing Executive Officer, Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd.

4) The Industrial Research Unit was established in FY2017 with its purpose being to advance technology transfer
with corporations and pursue stronger relationships with industry and government programs. This “Unit” comprisesof several industry-sponsored research projects, wherein a team of I2CNER researchers and embedded-industryaffiliates work on a particular research area of mutual interest. Through this new unit, I2CNER will expand its
outreach to promote the deployment of its technology to industries that will fund I2CNER projects in the future. The
first such project is “Mobile Energy Storage for Low-Carbon Society” sponsored by Mazda Motor Corporation for
71 million JPY with a duration of three years beginning in FY17. Additionally, the IHI Corporation has sponsored 5
million JPY on the “Study of High-temperature Co-electrolysis of CO2 and H2O.”

40

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

Personnel

Personnel (as of April 1, 2019)
Breakdown of Personnel(Total: 245)
19, 23,
8% 9%Researchers by Title(Total: 169)

Principal Investigator (PI)

57,
23%

8,
5%

Research Assistant (RA)and Other Researcher

146,
60%

Professor
20,
12%

40,
24%

Research Support Staff

PI

23,
13%

25,
15%

Asst. Professor
Postdoc.

30,
18%

RA

23,
13%

Administrative Staff

Assoc. Professor

Visiting Faculty

Statistics of Researchers by Title
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

7

Assoc.
Prof.
9

Asst.
Prof.
10

13

13

21

47%

43%

35%

13%

4%

0%

Total

PI

Prof.

Overseas

7910Japanese90% of Overseas% of Female

PostdocRA

27

8

Visiting
Faculty
8

13

13

0

17

30%

43%

68%

100%

32%

13%

13%

15%

63%

12%

I2CNER Annual Report 201841

Finances

Finances
1USD = 100JPYWPI Grant

Amount(Million US $)

20
18
16
14
12
10

18.2

8

13.3

6

13.3

13.1

12.7

12.5

13.2

FY2013

FY2014FY2015FY2016FY2017

10.8

4
2
0

FY2011FY2012*FY2018*WPI Grant of FY2012 includes the supplementary budget worth 5 million USD
Amount

Non-WPI Research Grants(Million US $)

35.0

30.0

4.8

2.8

1.8

25.0

MEXT* Allocation Funds, KU
Competitive Funds, Donations

1.7
20.0

1.5

15.0

26.8

26.0

1.6

27.0

1.5

21.2

10.0

0.6

14.9

5.0

Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research,Commissioned Research Project Funds
from Industry/Government, etc.

1.7

14.1

16.0
11.3

6.6
0.0

FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018*MEXT is an acronym for Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

42

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

Researcher List

Researcher List (as of April 1, 2019)
Administration
Director
Prof. Petros Sofronis

Dr. Arnau Call Quintana
Dr. Qing Wang
Dr. Tang Yongpeng

Associate Directors
Prof. Tatsumi Ishihara
Prof. Yasuyuki Takata

Hydrogen Materials Compatibility
Dr. Vlad Bogdan Niste
Dr. Pravakaran Saravanan

Principal Investigators
Molecular Photoconversion Devices
Prof. Tatsumi Ishihara (Division Lead PI)
Prof. Chihaya Adachi
Prof. Thomas Lippert, Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland
Prof. Ken Sakai
Assoc. Prof. Aleksandar Staykov
Hydrogen Materials Compatibility
Dr. Brian Somerday (Division Lead PI), Southwest ResearchInstitute, USA
Prof. Reiner Kirchheim, University of Göttingen, Germany
Prof. Masanobu Kubota
Prof. Petros SofronisProf. Joichi Sugimura
Electrochemical Energy Conversion
Prof. Hiroshige Matsumoto (Division Lead PI)
Prof. Andrew A. Gewirth, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, USA
Prof. Tsuyohiko Fujigaya
Prof. John A. Kilner, Imperial College London, UK
Prof. Kazunari Sasaki
Prof. Harry L. Tuller, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
USA
Thermal Science and Engineering
Prof. Yasuyuki Takata (Division Lead PI)
Prof. Bidyut Baran Saha
Prof. Hiroaki Watanabe
Prof. Xing Zhang, Tsinghua University, China
Catalytic Materials Transformations
Prof. Seiji Ogo (Division Lead PI)
Prof. Miho Yamauchi
CO2 Capture and Utilization
Assoc. Prof. Shigenori Fujikawa (Division Lead PI)
CO2 Storage
Prof. Takeshi Tsuji (Division Lead PI)
Prof. Kenneth Christensen, University of Notre Dame, USA

Full-time Faculty & Postdoctoral Associates
Molecular Photoconversion Devices
Assoc. Prof. Toshinori Matsushima
Assoc. Prof. Songmei Sun
Assoc. Prof. Motonori Watanabe
Asst. Prof. Edalati Kaveh
Asst. Prof. Minkyu Son
Dr. Nuttavut Kosem
Dr. Sijun Luo
Dr. Wei Ma

Electrochemical Energy Conversion
Prof. Naotoshi Nakashima
Dr. Junfang Cheng
Dr. Takaya Fujisaki
Dr. Kulbir Kaur GhumanDr. Dino Klotz
Dr. Leonard Kwati
Dr. Youngsung Lee
Dr. Jin Nishida
Dr. Ganasan Pandian
Dr. Veeramani Vediyappan
Thermal Science and Engineering
Asst. Prof. Sivasankaran Harish
Asst. Prof. Biao Shen
Dr. Sumitomo Hidaka
Catalytic Materials Transformations
Assoc. Prof. Nobutaka Maeda
Assoc. Prof. Yukina Takahashi
Assoc. Prof. Ki-Seok Yoon
Asst. Prof. Miho Isegawa
Dr. Tatsuya Ando
Dr. Takashi Fukushima
Dr. Sho Kitano
CO2 Capture and Utilization
Assoc. Prof. Ikuo Taniguchi
Asst. Prof. Roman Selyanchyn
CO2 Storage
Asst. Prof. Tatsunori Ikeda
Asst. Prof. Keigo Kitamura
Dr. Andri Hendriyana
Energy Analysis
Prof. Kenshi Itaoka
Assoc. Prof. Andrew Chapman
Asst. Prof. Nguyen Dinh Hoa
Dr. Hadi Farabi Asi
Research Center for Next Generation Refrigerant Properties
Prof. Yukihiro Higashi
Mazda Mobile Energy Storage for Low-Carbon Society(Industrial Research Unit)
Assoc. Prof. Hackho Kim

Satellite Faculty & Postdoctoral Associates
Molecular Photoconversion Devices
Prof. Angus Rockett
Assoc. Prof. Elif Ertekin

I2CNER Annual Report 201843

Researcher List

Electrochemical Energy Conversion
Prof. Andrew Gewirth
Asst. Prof. Nicola Helen Perry
Thermal Science and Engineering
Asst. Prof. Nenad Miljkovic
CO2 Capture and Utilization
Prof. Paul J. A. Kenis
CO2 Storage
Prof. Kenneth Christensen
Dr. Yaofa Li
Energy Analysis
Prof. James Stubbins
Asst. Prof. Katy Huff

Part-time Faculty & Postdoctoral Associates
Molecular Photoconversion Devices
Prof. Taner Akbay
Prof. Etsuo Akiba
Prof. Keiji Tanaka
Prof. Kazunari Yoshizawa
Assoc. Prof. Ken Kojio
Assoc. Prof. Hai-Wen Li
Assoc. Prof. Hisao Matsuno
Assoc. Prof. Hajime Nakanotani
Assoc. Prof. Hironobu Ozawa
Assoc. Prof. Atsuomi Shundo
Assoc. Prof. Atsushi Takagaki
Asst. Prof. Yoshifumi Amamoto
Asst. Prof. Kenichi Goushi
Asst. Prof. Kosei Yamauchi
Dr. Kazutaka Kamitani
Dr. Byeong Su Kang
Dr. Hajime Kusaba
Dr. Huan Li
Dr. Hui Ling Tan
Dr. Tze Hao Tan
Dr. Zhe Tan
Dr. Kuan-Ting Wu
Dr. Toshihiko Yokota
Hydrogen Materials Compatibility
Prof. Hisao Matsunaga
Prof. Yoshinori Sawae
Prof. Toshihiro Tsuchiyama
Assoc. Prof. Kazuyuki Yagi
Assoc. Prof. Tetsuo Yamaguchi
Asst. Prof. Kaname Matsue
Asst. Prof. Takehiro Morita
Asst. Prof. Hiroyoshi Tanaka
Dr. Takuro Masumura
Electrochemical Energy Conversion
Prof. Kohei Ito
Assoc. Prof. Stephen Lyth
Assoc. Prof. Junko Matsuda
Assoc. Prof. Masamichi Nishihara
Assoc. Prof. Tomohiro Shiraki
Dr. George Harrington
Dr. Yuki Terayama

Thermal Science and Engineering
Prof. Masamichi Kohno
Prof. Takahiko Miyazaki
Prof. Shoji MoriProf. Koji Takahashi
Assoc. Prof. Jin Miyawaki
Assoc. Prof. Naoya Sakoda
Assoc. Prof. Kyaw Thu
Asst. Prof. Yutaku Kita
Asst. Prof. Qin-Yi Li
Catalytic Materials Transformations
Assoc. Prof. Takahiro Matsumoto
Assoc. Prof. Tatsuya Uchida
Asst. Prof. Mitsuhiro Kikkawa
Asst. Prof. Takeshi Yatabe
Dr. Takuo Minato

Visiting Professors & Scholars
Hydrogen Materials Compatibility
Prof. Nikolaos Aravas, University of Thessaly, Greece
Prof. Robert O. Ritchie, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Dr. Akihide Nagao, JFE Steel Corporation, Japan
Electrochemical Energy Conversion
Asst. Prof. Helena Tellez-Lozano
Thermal Science and Engineering
Prof. Sushanta Mitra, University of Waterloo, Canada
Prof. Akira Yamada, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd, Japan
Assoc. Prof. Daniel Orejon, University of Edinburgh, UK
Dr. Mahfuza Sharifa Sultana
Catalytic Materials Transformations
Dr. Kinya Kumazawa, Japan Institute for Promoting Invention
and Innovation
CO2 Capture and Utilization
Prof. Benny Freeman, University of Texas, Austin, USA
Dr. Toyoki Kunitake, Kitakyushu Foundation for the
Advancement of Industry Science and Technology, Japan
CO2 Storage
Assoc. Prof. Diogo Bolster, University of Notre Dame, USA
Asst. Prof. Jiang Fei, Yamaguchi University, Japan
Asst. Prof. Jihui Jia, China University of Petroleum
Dr. Osamu Nishizawa
Energy Analysis
Prof. Yasumasa Fujii, University of Tokyo, Japan
Prof. Kuniaki Honda
Prof. Atsushi Kurosawa, Institute of Applied Energy, Japan
Prof. Ken Okazaki, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Assoc. Prof. Jack Brouwer, University of California, Irvine, USA
Dr. Makoto Akai, National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology, Japan
Dr. Katsuhiko Hirose, Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan
Dr. Seiichiro Kimura, Renewable Energy Institute, Japan
Research Center for Next Generation Refrigerant Properties
Prof. Ryo Akasaka, Kyushu Sangyo University, Japan
Prof. Akio Miyara, Saga University, Japan
Assoc. Prof. Chieko Kondo, Nagasaki University, Japan
Mazda Mobile Energy Storage for Low-Carbon Society(Industrial Research Unit)
Assoc. Prof. Suguru Ikeda, Mazda Motor Corp., Japan

44

I2CNER Annual Report 2018

Access Map

Access Map
Map of Fukuoka City

International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research(I2CNER) Kyushu University
Address : 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Phone : +81 (0)92-802-6932 Fax : +81 (0)92-802-6939
URL : http://i2cner.kyushu-u.ac.jp
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I2CNER Annual Report 201845

The overhead view of the new I²CNER building portrays the *Keeling Curve, which rises over time, toindicate that I2CNER’s research will eventually contribute to the downward turn of this curve.
*In 1958, Charles David Keeling began making daily measurements of the concentration of atmosphericcarbon dioxide (CO2) at the Mauna Loa Observatory on the Big Island of Hawaii. Keeling’s measurements
are the first significant evidence of rapidly increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.