In December 2021, the National Institute for Materials Science Nanotechnology Platform commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), which provides opportunities to use cutting-edge equipment and facilities in the field of nanotechnology, announced seven "Excellent Utilization Results" for FY2021, which were selected from approximately 27,000 applications that were submitted last year. This year's highest award was granted to the research group led by Associate Professor Tetsuo Kan (Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, University of Electro-Communications), who utilized the Nanotechnology Platform at the University of Tokyo. The award ceremony was held on January 26th, 2022, at nano tech 2022 - The 21st International Nanotechnology Exhibition & Conference, Tokyo Big Sight.
Using only Si and metal materials, Professor Kan et al. developed a nanoscale microfabricated infrared sensor with a vibrating MEMS structure and nanostructure that can detect surface plasmon resonance (SPR). By analyzing the surface of the material as a plasmonic structure, infrared rays that could not be detected by conventional Si were detected as electrical signals. Furthermore, the vibrating MEMS structure allowed the detection of wavelength and polarized light of the material. Since the sensor can be manufactured through MEMS processing instead of a complicated manufacturing process, it can be miniaturized and used in various applications.
The other six awards for excellence are as follows:
"Nanostructure derived from the in-vivo molecular machine chaperonin GroEL" by the research group led by Professor Takuzo Aida (School of Engineering, University of Tokyo) using the Advanced Characterization Nanotechnology Platform of University of Tokyo
"Atomic resolution structural analysis of multi-element nanoalloys via nonequilibrium synthesis" by the research group led by Professor Hiroshi Kitagawa (Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University) using the Advanced Characterization Nanotechnology Platform of Kyushu University
"Development of photonic nanostructures for simultaneous spectroscopy, polarization, and RGB photography" by Associate Professor Kazuma Shinoda (Graduate School of Regional Development and Creativity, Utsunomiya University) using the Nanofabrication Platform of National Institute for Materials Science
"Structural determination of photosensitive compounds containing heteroatoms and its application in anticancer photodynamic therapy" by the research group led by Associate Professor Nomoto Akihiro (Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University) using the Molecule and Material Synthesis Platform of Nagoya University
"Ultra-sensitive high-speed detection of novel coronavirus using gold nanostructures" by Professor Yong Yang (Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) using the Molecule and Material Synthesis Platform of Nagoya Institute of Technology
"Chiral-induced spin selectivity in inorganic chiral crystals" by the research group led by Professor Togawa Yoshihiko (Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University) using the Molecule and Material Synthesis Platform of the Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences
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