Cooperative Division

Research Center for Thermal and Entropic Science

Research areas

1. Structure and thermodynamics of two-dimensional solids formed at various interfaces.
2. Structure and thermodynamics of quasicrystals, superconductors, and fullerenes.
3. Thermodynamic behavior of novel glassy states, including amorphous ices.
4. Quantum effects and deuteration-induced phase transitions in hydrogen-bonded crystals.
5. Thermodynamics of mesophases, such as liquid crystals and plastic crystals.
6. Thermodynamic investigations of molecular magnets and low-dimensional conductors.
7. Energetics of biochemical systems, including organisms.

We are particularly interested in the order and disorder created by the subtle balance between the various intermolecular interactions. The techniques employed to investigate structure and dynamics are calorimetry, neutron scattering, X-ray diffraction, scanning probe microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations. Using these techniques, we specialize in accurate measurements of energies and entropies. Our goal is, therefore, to integrate the information obtained from microscopic and macroscopic investigations and uncover the properties of condensed matter. This work brings together molecular sciences and chemical thermodynamics.