SAKURA SCIENCE University Program
Students Selected from Leading Indian Universities Learn About Cutting‑edge Materials Science at NIMS
On Sunday, September 24, 49 undergraduate and graduate students selected from leading universities in India came to Japan for a week. On the morning of Friday, September 29, the students visited the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Tsukuba. NIMS is known as a world‑class research organization in materials science.
After the students arrived, they attended an introduction on NIMS. Researchers from India explained how they came to be carrying out research there, and about student programs run by NIMS. Following this, the students were split into four groups, and embarked on a laboratory tour based on six themes.
For the theme of "Electrochromism of Metallo‑Supramolecular Polymer", post‑doctoral researcher Dr. Susmita Roy gave an explanation of metallo‑supramolecular polymers, which change color when an electric current is applied. Researchers have produced reports with expectations of a market for dimmable glass windows that can switch between transparency and opacity using electricity through the application of these polymers. For the theme of "Solid State Ionics Device", Professor Kazuya Terabe, Senior Scientist with Special Missions, MANA*, explained about the atomic switch, an ultimate nanodevice developed by NIMS. The students eagerly took in the theory, knowing that this is an atomic‑scale device to use in place of transistors.
The students also attended lectures and visited laboratories associated with the themes of "Advanced Electron Microscope", "Accelerate the R&D with Materials Integration", "Materials Informatics", and "Functional Soft Materials for Medical Application". Although the visit was short, they were able to learn about the cutting edge of materials science research at a world‑class level.
*MANA: Research Center for Materials Nanoarhitectonics
