Volume 1, 2025

  • Seismic performance of a bridge pier integrated by multiple steel pipes with directly-connected piles using soil-water coupled with three-dimensional elasto-plastic finite element analysis

    A new type of bridge support using connected steel pipes was tested to see if it performs as well as traditional designs during earthquakes. Small-scale shaking tests showed that it works just as well or even better. However, since only one type of shaking was tested, we are now using computer simulations to see how it reacts to different kinds of earthquake motions. This will help us better understand how safe and reliable this new bridge design is for the future.

    Muhammad Mahmood Ul Hassan, Koichi Isobe, Yasumasa Soga, Yasuo Sawamura, Hiroki Sugiyama, and Masatsugu Shinohara

    Soils and Foundations, 65(2): 101571, 2025.3.

  • Study on long-term subsidence of soft clay due to Niigata-ken Chuetsu-oki earthquake of 2007

    In the 2007 Niigata-ken Chuetsu-oki Earthquake, ground liquefaction was severe in sandy areas, but long-term settlement occurred in soft clay in Kashiwazaki’s Shinbashi district. Even without visible damage, the ground sank 71 mm over 14 years. We studied this by boring and testing soil samples, finding the clay to be soft and highly compressible. Using a specialized computer model (TS-CM), we successfully simulated the ground’s behavior, showing that this type of clay is prone to long-term sinking after earthquakes due to water pressure buildup and delayed consolidation. These findings help predict future ground behavior in similar soils.

    Yazhou Jiang, Koichi Isobe, Satoru Ohtsuka, and Toshiyuki Takahara

    Soils and Foundations, 65(1): 101536, 2025.2.

  • Lack of Oscillatory Motion of Superfluid ⁴He During its Dripping from a Needle

    Although pendant droplets commonly exist in our daily lives, their dynamics are not fully understood. To obtain further understanding of its physics, we observed superfluid helium dripping from a thin needle by a high-speed camera. Superfluidity is an inviscid liquid state only happening in helium at low temperatures. The present study where we used a thin needle to eliminate the droplet’s remnant volume clearly demonstrated that the dissipation-less large oscillation observed in the previous experiments was crucial for the discretization of the dripping period which is novel phenomenon reflecting the anomalous fluid properties of superfluid helium.

    Tomoyuki Tani, Keigo Sawada, Keito Miyake, Shota Takamatsu, Ryota Yamane, Yuri Ishimoto, Ryuta Matsukawa, Yuki Aoki, and Ryuji Nomura

    Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 94, 065001

  • Electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction catalytic activity of zirconium nitrides synthesized by the urea-glass route using ZrCl₄ as a raw material

    The development of electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO2RR) catalysts is crucial for converting CO₂ into valuable chemicals using surplus renewable energy. Carbon monoxide (CO) is widely studied due to its multiple applications. We prepared ZrN nanoparticles via the “urea-glass route.”, as a novel CO2RR catalyst, This preparation process resulted in the formation of a ZrN-carbon composite. CO2RR tests showed the formation of CO, as well as hydrogen, which was generated as a byproduct of the competing water electrolysis reaction. Despite the relatively low CO efficiency, we successfully confirmed the electrochemical CO2RR activity of the ZrN-carbon composite.

    Kentaro Tabuchi, Shinji Noguchi, Ryosuke Nakazato, Keeko Matsumoto, Yuta Fujii, Akira Miura, and Kiyoharu Tadanaga

    J. Ceram. Soc. Jpn., 113[2], 47-51 (2025).

  • Understanding the active catalyst surface structure on Ru-doped Ni/CeO₂ catalysts for CO₂ methanation

    Converting CO₂ into valuable compounds using renewable hydrogen is a promising strategy for achieving a decarbonized society. We previously demonstrated that Ni-based catalysts efficiently convert CO₂ into methane, the main component of city gas. In this study, we combined expertise in chemical engineering, computational chemistry, and physics to uncover the surface structure of the developed catalyst. These structural insights pave the way for improving catalyst performance and for designing advanced CO₂ conversion systems that contribute to a decarbonized future.

    Shohei Tada, Shunsuke Ogata, So Nishikawa, Harune Yamaguchi, Yamato Nakashima, Tetsuo Honma, Hirotsugu Hiramatsu, Masahiko Nishijima, Tatsuya Joutsuka, and Ryuji Kikuchi

    International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

  • Solid-state aromatic nucleophilic fluorination: a rapid, practical, and environmentally friendly route to N-heteroaryl fluorides

    A simple mechanochemical protocol for solid-state aromatic nucleophilic fluorination using potassium fluoride (KF) and quaternary ammonium salts was developed. This solid-state fluorination is fast and a variety of N-heteroaryl halides can be efficiently fluorinated within 1 h.

    Koji Kubota, Tetsu Makino, Keisuke Kondo, Tamae Seo, Mingoo Jin, and Hajime Ito

    Green Chemistry, 27, 1771

  • Achieving Chiral Crystallization through Tailored Silyl-Substituted Dipolar Molecular Designs

    This study highlights the importance of introducing appropriate bulky shielding sites and interactive sites to achieve chiral crystallization and provides valuable guidance for designing chiral assemblies from achiral dipolar molecules.

    Natsumi Hammyo, Takeharu Yonezawa, Hajime Ito, and Mingoo Jin.

    Crystal Growth & Design

  • CO₂ electrochemical reduction by Zn-based layered double hydroxides: The role of structural trivalent metal ions

    Carbon dioxide electrochemical reduction (CO2ER) has attracted attention because of its potential to convert CO₂ into valuable chemical materials using renewable energy. In this study, we evaluated the electrocatalytic activity of Zn-Cr, Zn-Ga, and Zn-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) for CO2ER. We found that these LDHs exhibited CO2ER activity for CO evolution, and the type of M³⁺ in the Zn-based LDHs affected their CO2ER performance. This research was a collaboration with the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and the Institute of Ceramics and Glass, CSIC, Spain

    Ryosuke Nakazato, Keeko Matsumoto, Matthias Quintelier, Joke Hadermann, Nataly Carolina Rosero-Navarro, Akira Miura, and Kiyoharu Tadanaga

    Open Ceramics, 22, 100788 (2025)

  • Data-driven inverse mix design for sustainable alkali-activated materials

    Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) are promising alternatives to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), but standardized mix design approaches are limited. This study introduces a machine learning-based framework for inverse mix design of AAMs, predicting optimal mixes based on target properties and sustainability. The model considers eight key factors, including precursor reactivity, activator properties, and liquid-to-binder ratio.

    K. Kong, Kiyofumi Kurumisawa, Chiharu Tokoro, Zhanzhao Li, and S. H. Chu

    Journal of Sustainable Cement-Based Materials, Vol.13, pp.1857-1878

  • Carbon Fiber-reinforced Plastic Surface Modification by Al Electroplating in AlCl₃–EmImCl Ionic Liquids

    To improve the wear resistance of the CFRP surface, Al electroplating was formed on the surface in an ionic liquid and anodizing was also performed. The hardness of the anodized surface is improved to about seven times that of the substrate CFRP.

    Naoki Kishi, Hisayoshi Matsushima, and Mikito Ueda

    Electrochemistry. 93, 037005

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