Takeyuki Kikuchi
Professor | Ph.D. in Engineering
Applied Chemistry Course
Field of Applied Chemistry
In his lectures, Kikuchi emphasizes repeated training in formulating the diverse and complex physical phenomena encountered in real-world problems—through modeling approaches such as simplification, analysis, and structural representation—and in analyzing these formulations mathematically to arrive at solutions by relatively straightforward means. His research addresses the synthesis of novel functional ceramics via soft chemical synthesis routes, together with the investigation of various electromagnetic properties, including ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity.
Synthesis and Property Evaluation of Novel Multiferroic Materials
What students can learn
Students gain grounding in the principles underlying material design for ceramics, synthesis process design, structural analysis, microstructural observation, and evaluation of electromagnetic properties, along with hands-on experience applying these methods in practice.
This research explores the synthesis of new ceramic materials that combine ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity, and evaluates the various electromagnetic properties required to realize the novel electromagnetic devices such materials could enable. The work is pursued alongside the study of fundamental synthesis methods for oxide materials, techniques for structural analysis and observation, and various approaches to property evaluation. It also has an exploratory dimension, seeking multiferroic materials with properties robust enough for practical use—and, in doing so, aims to build insight toward design principles for multiferroic materials that do not yet clearly exist.
Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Nanoscale Ferromagnetic Oxides
What students can learn
This theme develops familiarity with the fundamentals of ceramic material design, synthesis process design, structural analysis, microstructural observation, and the assessment of electromagnetic properties, while providing practical experience in applying these techniques directly.
Ferromagnetic oxides refined to the nanometer scale exhibit distinctive magnetic properties not observed in bulk material (masses above a certain size), and these properties have been applied in the development of various functional materials. This research pursues a range of approaches aimed chiefly at improving performance for use in permanent magnets and magnetic recording media.
