Major Research Areas：Design of Catalyst Surface, Nano-Structured Catalyst, Fine Structure of Active Species
Lab.
Doctor：Kohki Ebitani Atsushi Takagaki

EBITANI Laboratory
Design of Catalyst Surfaces for Creating Novel Functions
―Materials Science and Chemistry for 　Nano-Structured Catalysts―
　Research activity
　
Catalysts are key technology for our modern life style and will play a pivotal role in developing a sustainable society, because catalysts have the potential to solve problems concerning energy, resources, and health by converting inexpensive materials to highly valuable compounds under mild conditions with high atom efficiency and low E-factor of the chemical reactions.

The research of our group is currently directed towards the development of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts for environmentally-friendly chemical processes by designing solid surfaces at atomic or molecular levels. In particular, our attention is focused on creation of nano-structured multifunctional catalysts, through the design of catalytically active species for vital chemical transformations that contribute to solving issues concerning energy and resources. We believe that the creation of well-defined active metal sites on a solid surface not only opens up an avenue to materials that boost catalytic performance, but also aids an understanding of the molecular basis of heterogeneous catalysis.

Currently, this group is striving to meet scientific challenges in combination with application-oriented research. These goals are pursued via three research topics:

1）Creation of Surface Metal Species for Selective Oxidation Using Molecular Oxygen and Water as Ideal Oxidants via Nano-Weaving

2）Design of Multifunctional Catalysts for Utilization of Bio-Mass and Water

3）Elucidation of Potential of Metal Nanoclusters as Catalysts

Our group characterizes the structure of catalysts on the basis of expertise in a variety of experimental techniques, such as kinetic and temperature-programmed studies, chemisorption measurements, solid-state NMR, FT-IR and UV-VIS spectroscopies, Transmission and Scanning Electron microscopies, and X-ray diffraction. Through collaborations with facilities of Synchrotron Radiation such as SPring-8 (Harima, Japan), we also have access to highly specialized XAFS (X-ray Absorption for Fine Structure) equipment that allows determination of the structure of catalytic materials at the atomic level.

Furthermore, our achievements will lead the way to collaborations between chemistry, physics, and biology for creating the advanced materials that may solve the serious environmental problems facing us today, and spur public opinion and governmental policies towards constructing a sustainable society in this century. We wish to open up novel research fields based on advanced catalytic science and technology.
■Equipment
Transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, 400MHz NMR, UV-VIS, FT-IR, GC, LC, GC-MS, and Access to X-ray absorption for fine structure (SPring-8, Harima, Japan)
　
Voice This research laboratory started in November 2006. We will create advanced heterogeneous catalysts by precise design of solid surfaces at the atomic level to realize truly environmentally-acceptable chemical transformations for sustainable society. Do not hesitate to contact us if you wish to join our research group.
　
■Keywords
■Contact
Surface Science and Chemistry of Heterogeneous Catalysts, Nano-Structured Catalytic Materials,
Kohki Ebitani／E-mail：ebitani@jaist.ac.jp　TEL：+81-761-51-1610　FAX：+81-761-51-1625
URL：http://www.jaist.ac.jp/~ebitani/
　
The main research achievements in the past five years
1: T. Mitsudome, K. Nose, K. Mori, T. Mizugaki, K. Ebitani, K. Jitsukawa, K. Kaneda, Montmorillonite-entrapped subnano-ordered Pd clusters as a heterogeneous catalyst for allylic substitution reactions, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., in press(2007).
2: K. Motokura, N. Fujita, K. Mori, T. Mizugaki, K. Ebitani, K. Kaneda, Brosted acid mediated heterogeneous addition reaction of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to alkenes and alcohols, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 45, 2605-2609 (2006).
3: T. Mitsudome, T. Umetani, N. Nosaka, K. Mori, T. Mizugaki, K. Ebitani, K. Kaneda, Convenient and efficient Pd-catalyzed regioselective oxyfunctionalization of terminal olefins by using molecular oxygen as sole reoxidant, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 45, 481-485 (2006).
4: K. Motokura, N. Fujita, K. Mori, T. Mizugaki, K. Ebitani, K. Kaneda, An acidic layered clay is combined with a basic layered clay for one-pot sequential reactions, J.Amer. Chem. Soc., 127, 9674-9675 (2005).
5: K. Ebitani, K. Motokura, T. Mizugaki, K. Kaneda, Heterotrimetallic RuMnMn species on a hydrotalcite surface as highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts for liquid-phase oxidation of alcohols with molecular oxygen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 44, 3423-3426 (2005).