Articles

  • 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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