Yoshimitsu Itoh
Biography
Yoshimitsu Itoh is an associate professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology of the University of Tokyo (Japan), where he leads a research group called Interfacial Molecular Engineering (IME) Laboratory as a principal investigator. His lab focuses on the development of novel functional polymers and supramolecular polymers. During his USIAS Fellowship, he will be hosted by Professor Nicolas Giuseppone at the Charles Sadron Institute (ICS).
Yoshimitsu Itoh received a PhD degree for experimental and theoretical investigations of organo-fluorine compounds under the direction of Professor Koichi Mikami at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2006. He subsequently carried out a first postdoctoral research focusing on organometallic catalysis with Professor Eiichi Nakamura at the University of Tokyo, moving on to a second starting in 2007 at Columbia University (USA) with Professor Colin Nuckolls, working on self-assembled monolayers and organic field-effect transistors. In 2008, he began his academic career at the University of Tokyo as an assistant professor in the research group of Professor Takuzo Aida, where he led a research team. He was promoted to lecturer in 2016 and then to associate professor in 2018. In 2022, he successfully started his fully independent research group.
His research interests focus on engineering the interface between molecules, and between molecules and surfaces, to develop innovative materials leveraging the fundamentals of organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, and electrochemistry. His current research interest is to develop amide-based functional materials focusing on the double-bond character of amide groups for optoelectronic applications and functional membranes.
Fellowship 2025
Dates - 01/09/2025-31/08/2026
Project summary
NOVEL FUNCTIONAL POROUS POLYMERS WITH HIGH MECHANICAL AND PHOTOCHEMICAL STABILITY
To attain a resource- and energy-saving society, there is a strong demand for lightweight polymers with excellent mechanical properties. This is because lightweight polymers can be manufactured with a low consumption of raw materials, and transported with a low consumption of fuel. However, lightweight porous polymers are typically soft – the kitchen sponge is one example of this. Robust polymers are heavier than other common plastics. Currently, there is no clear guideline for how to overcome this robustness-density trade-off. A material that is both robust and lightweight is awaited for practical applications for a sustainable society.
This project aims to develop new polymers that have high-strength and high-temperature resistance while also being lightweight (low density and porous) and chemically/photochemically stable. For this goal, we propose a new non-planar cyclic amide monomer. This monomer, when polymerized, is expected to exhibit high robustness by a multiple hydrogen-bonding network while maintaining porous character by the insufficient packing of the monomeric units due to its non-planarity. The monomer is also designed to have high chemical and photo stability, which would lead to a robust, porous, lightweight, photostable polymer.
During the project, we will first synthesize the new monomeric unit with various functional groups that can be the initiating point for polymerization. Then, we will synthesize the target polymer by using a cross-coupling reaction or polycondensation. The chemical stability and photostability will be tested for both monomer and polymer, in solution and in bulk. After the synthesis, the polymer will be processed into a sheet or fiber for characterization. Processing is one of the key points for this project, as the amide-based polymers usually have low solubility. In such a case, we might need to redesign the monomer using protecting groups. In the future, we are planning to apply those polymers not only for structural materials but also for highly efficient separation membranes that can be used under heavy load.
