ナノプロトニクス

Research Interests

Innovating for a Greener Future through Advanced Materials Science

Yuki NAGAO E-mail：ynagao”atmark”jaist.ac.jp ［Research fields］ Protonics, Polymer Chemistry, Coordination Chemistry ［Keywords］ Proton, Self-assembly, Battery, Fuel Cells, Sensors

 

Research summary

Securing diverse energy resources is an urgent issue for resource-poor Japan to achieve sustainable development. And it is a dream of mankind to create hydrogen and oxygen from common water, and to create carbon materials using carbon dioxide as a resource. A hydrogen society is necessary for the decarbonized society that is rapidly progressing in the world. We are researching ion-conducting polymer materials, inorganic materials, and organic-inorganic hybrid materials using interfaces that can be applied to fuel cells, batteries, and sensors that support the hydrogen society. Let’s contribute to a hydrogen society together with us. (YouTube)

Current Interest (2025)

1. Research on fuel cell performance improvement
   a. Proton transport property in polymer organized structure (2012-)
   b. OH^– ion transport property in polymer thin films (2017-)
   c. Li+ transport property in polymer organized structure (2022-)
   d. Na+ transport property in polymer organized structure (2023-)
2. Development of rechargeable proton batteries
3. Electrochemical catalysts for fuel cells, water electrolysis, and CO2 reduction
4. Gas sensors
5. Research on external force response sensors using ion transport
6. Ion switching by coordination compounds (Dr. Aoki, Assistant Professor)

Movies

• Y. Nagao*
  Advancing Sustainable Energy: Structurally Organized Proton and Hydroxide Ion-Conductive Polymers
  Curr. Opin. Electrochem., 44, 101464(9 pages) (2024) YouTube
  
• Y. Nagao*
  Proton-Conducting Polymers: Key to Next-Generation Fuel Cells, Electrolyzers, Batteries, Actuators, and Sensors
  ChemElectroChem, 11, e202300846 (27 pages) (2024) YouTube
  
• V. Sharma, P. Upadhyay, L. C. T. Cao, Y. Nagao, V. Kulshrestha
  Innovative Integration of MXenes in Ion-Conductive Polymer Membranes: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications
  Nanoscale, accepted, (2025) YouTube
• A. F. Fuzlin, S. Aynharan, N. N. A. Hafidz, N. M. Ghazali, M. Diantoro, Y. Nagao, A. S. Samsudin
  Advances in Gel Biopolymer Electrolytes: Sustainable Polymers for Energy Storage Application
  Polym. Adv. Tech., 36, e70319 (41 pages) (2025) YouTube
• G. K. Weldegebrieal, P. Tangthuam, W. Lao-ian, J. Kasemchainan, R. Pornprasertsuk, I. In, Y. Nagao, W.-R. Liu, S. Kheawhom
  Sodium-Ion Batteries: from Conventional to Anode-Free Configurations: Materials, Mechanisms, and Future Prospects
  J. Energy Storage, accepted, (2025) YouTube

Timeline of Achievements

Years 2014 – present,
Electrochemical appilcation (Fuel cells, battery, supercap etc.)

• Z. Wang, Y. Nagao*
  Effects of Nafion impregnation using inkjet printing for membrane electrode assemblies in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells
  Electrochim. Acta, 129, 343 – 347 (2014)
  
• N. N. A. Hafidz, N. M. Ghazali, N. F. Mazuki, M. Diantoro, Y. Nagao, K. Aoki, A. S. Samsudin
  Graphene Oxide-Enhanced Alginate-PVA Biopolymer Electrolytes with Improved Proton Conductivity and Electrochemical Stability for Supercapacitor Applications
  Solid State Ionics, 429, 116956 (16 pages) (2025)
• L. C. T. Cao*, K. Aoki, S.-H. Hsu, S. Boonruang, Y. Nagao*
  Porosity-controlled MXene anodes for enhanced rate and long cycle life performance in aqueous proton batteries
  Chem. Eng. J., 520, 165882 (15 pages) (2025)

Years 2010 – present,
Electrochemical reaction (ORR, HER, NRR, CO2RR etc.)

• C. H. Chang, T. S. Yuen, Y. Nagao*, H. Yugami
  Electrocatalytic activity of Iridium Oxide nanoparticles coated on carbon for oxygen reduction as cathode catalyst in PEFC
  J. Power Sources, 195, 5938 – 5941 (2010)
  
• Md. T. Islam, M. I. Hossain, K. Aoki, Y. Nagao, Md. M, Hasan, M. Rahaman, A. Aldalbahi, M. A. Hasnat
  Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 by SnS⎸PTFE⎸Pt Surface in an Aqueous Imidazole Medium: Catalysis and Kinetics
  ACS Appl. Energy Mater., 7, 3125 – 3136 (2024)
• M. H. Sawal, A. A. Jalil, T. A. T. Abdullah, N. S. Hassan, M. B. Bahari, N. M. Izzudin, N. W. C. Jusoh, Y. Nagao, K. Aoki, M. N. Chong, S. Rajendran
  n-n heterojunction CdS/FST photoanode for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting
  Int. J. Hydrog. Energy, 104, 336 – 343 (2025)

Years 2020 – 2022,
OH- transport in polymer thin films

• U. Salma, Y. Nagao*
  Alkaline stability of ether bond free fluorene based anion exchange polymer containing cycloaliphatic quaternary ammonium groups 
  Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 179, 109299(1-9) (2020)
  
• F. Wang, D. Wang, Y. Nagao*
  OH- Conductive Properties and Water Uptake of Anion Exchange Thin Films 
  ChemSusChem, 14, 2694 – 2697 (2021)
• F. Wang, S. Nagano, M. Hara, Y. Nagao*
  Hydration and OH-/Br- Conduction Properties of Fluorene-Thiophene-Based Anion Exchange Thin Films Tethered with Different Cations 
  ACS Appl. Polym. Mater., 4, 5965 – 5974 (2022)

Years 2016 – 2017,
Metal-Organic Coordination Network Thin Film and Covalent Organic Network Thin Film

• Metal-Organic Coordination Network Thin Film by Surface-Induced Assembly
  S. Laokroekkiat, M. Hara, S. Nagano, Y. Nagao*
  Langmuir, 32, 6648 – 6655 (2016)
  
• Fabrication and Characterization of Cross-linked Organic Thin Films with Nonlinear Mass Densities
  M. A. Rashed, S. Laokroekkiat, M. Hara, S. Nagano, Y. Nagao*
  Langmuir, 32 , 5917 – 5924 (2016)

Year 2015 – 2019 ,
Molecular weight dependence of proton conductivity

• K. Krishnan, H. Iwatsuki, M. Hara, S. Nagano, Y. Nagao*
  Influence of Molecular Weight on Molecular Ordering and Proton Transport in Organized Sulfonated Polyimide Thin Films
  J. Phys. Chem. C, 119, 21767 – 21774 (2015)
  
• K. Takakura, Y. Ono, K. Suetsugu, M. Hara, S. Nagano, T. Abe, Y. Nagao*
  Lyotropic ordering for high proton conductivity in sulfonated semialiphatic polyimide thin films
  Polym. J., 51, 31 – 39 (2019)
  

Year 2013 – 2020,
Oriented Nafion thin film on different substrate surface

• Y. Nagao*
  Highly Oriented Sulfonic Acid Groups in a Nafion Thin Film on Si Substrate
  J. Phys. Chem. C, 117, 3294 – 3297 (2013)
  
• Y. Ono, Y. Nagao*
  Interfacial Structure and Proton Conductivity of Nafion at the Pt-deposited Surface
  Langmuir, 32, 352 – 358 (2016)
  
• U. N. Shrivastava, K. suetsugu, S. Nagano, H. Fritzsche, Y. Nagao, K. Karan
  Cross-Correlated Humidity Dependent Structural Evolution of Nafion Thin Film Confined on Platinum Substrate
  Soft Matter, 16, 1190 – 1200 (2020)

Year 2012 – 2018 (Associate Professor at JAIST) ,
Highly proton conductive molecularly oriented and organized polymers

• K. Krishnan, H. Iwatsuki, M. Hara, S. Nagano, Y. Nagao*
  Proton conductivity enhancement in oriented, sulfonated polyimide thin films
  J. Mater. Chem. A, 2(19), 6895 – 6903 (2014)
  
• Y. Ono, R. Goto, M. Hara, S. Nagano, T. Abe, Y. Nagao*
  High proton conduction of organized sulfonated polyimide thin films with planar and bent backbones
  Macromolecules, 51, 3351 – 3359 (2018).
  

Years 2006 – 2011 (Assistant Professor at Tohoku Univ. and Kyoto Univ.),
Enhancement of the proton conduction by oriented polymer thin films. (Created a concept of Nanoprotonics)

• Y. Nagao*, N. Naito, F. Iguchi, N. Sata, H. Yugami
  Synthesis of oligomeric poly[(1, 2-propanediamine)-alt-(oxalic acid)] and anomalous proton conductivities of the thin films
  Solid State Ionics, 180, 589 – 591 (2009)

Years 2001 – 2006 (Student at Univ. of Tsukuba and Kyushu Univ.),
Highly proton conductive coordination polymers

• H Kitagawa, Y Nagao, M Fujishima, R Ikeda, S Kanda
  Highly proton-conductive copper coordination polymer, H 2 dtoaCu (H 2 dtoa= dithiooxamide anion)
  Inorganic Chemistry Communications, 6 (4), 346-348 (2003)
  

Publication

Selected publication

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