- Nanomechanics and Physics Group (Nakamura Lab.)
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Our group studies the strength and structure-derived functionality of solid materials from the atomic and electronic viewpoints. Our main research topics include deformation behavior of inorganic materials in light, novel functionality of ceramics based on dislocation engineering, mechanical-electrical energy conversion in ferroelectrics, atomic-level structural analysis of lattice defects by transmission electron microscopy, new atomic force microscopy techniques, hydrogen embrittlement of metallic materials, and nano-diamond composite materials.
- Solid Mechanics Group (Tarumi Lab.)
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Resonance of sound and ultrasound is studied to evaluate functional materials, develop elastic-wave devices, detect the remaining life of aging structural materials, and apply the sonoluminescence-photocatalyst interaction to decompose organic compounds. In particular, the electromagnetic-acoustic resonance (EMAR) has been investigated, which for the first time makes it possible to measure the elastic and inelastic properties of composites, electric materials, thin films, superconductors, metal glasses, etc. These acoustic measurements incorporate with the micromechanics theoretical models to evaluate the physical acoustic phenomena from the mechanical viewpoint.
- Polymer Physics Group (Uehara Lab.)
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We study polymer physics with the aim of relating polymer topology to statistical mechanical properties. Polymers—including gels, rubbers, and elastomers—share a universal characteristic: they behave as long, flexible, string like molecules that form network structures, knots, and entanglements. We analyze these topological features through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. Our current work includes improving polymer elasticity theory by using graph theoretical approaches, evaluating the topology of extremely long ring polymers, and performing network analysis on molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results.
