Center HP

For global stronghold in membrane and film technology

Industry has highly required high functional membranes and film in various fields. The membrane and film technologies are the key elemental technologies for the solution of environmental and energy problems, such as sustainability of water resources and conservation of atmospheric environment. The Graduate School of Engineering of Kobe University has founded the Center for Membrane and Film Technology so as that Kobe University takes the lead of the membrane and thin film technologies. This center, which is the first center in this field in Japan, is aiming to form a global network for education and research.

Research/Educational Group

In order to come up to the various industrial needs, this center consists of the following four education and research groups.

Functional Organic Thin Films

Current research activities include preparation and characterization of organic thin films and basic research of molecular nanotechnology.

Functional Catalytic Materials Fabricated in Thin Films and Membranes

This research group aims for the developments of novel catalytic materials with high functions by synthesizing monolayer of active components or by combining nanocatalytic particles with micro- or mesoporous thin film layer to expect a new catalytic function or molecular sieving function, respectively, for hyper active and selective catalytic performance.

Functional Separation Membranes

Research/education include the preparation of various types of porous membranes by phase separation methods as well as quantitative clarification of structure formation mechanism. In addition, gas separations for various systems by facilitated transport membrane using carrier are also targets in this research group.

Manufacturing Processes for Thin Films

This research group aims for control of micro and/or nanostructure of thin films to have highly efficient function by coating and drying process engineering.

Research Program

This research center covers wide range of research and development from highly functional membrane and films to novel processes for producing them with the aide of material chemistry and chemical engineering. Examples of research are as follows;

1. Preparation of various type of functional porous membranes and their application to water treatment,
2. CO₂ recovery by carrier-mediated facilitated transport membrane,
3. Structural control of organic thin films for optical and electrical devices,
4. Physical chemistry of surface/interface of Langmuir-Blodgett film,
5. Well-designed micro or mesoporous silicate layer developed around Pt nanoparticles,
6. Highly efficient photo-reduction system by fixing photo-catalyst in hydrogen separation membranes of silica,
7. Structure control of PEFC catalyst layer by slurry preparation, coating and drying, and
8. Control of thin film structure by coating and drying process.