Research Interests

To design a more efficient solar energy conversion system (light energy to electrical or chemical energy), it is important to reveal and understand the mechanisms of various chemical reactions at heterogeneous interfaces. We investigate the photochemical processes occurring on a variety of light energy conversion systems using advanced single-molecule, single-particle spectroscopy techniques and gain new insights related to spatial and temporal heterogeneities in reactions and structures, which are always masked by ensemble averaging.

Research Subjects

• Single-molecule chemistry
• Creation of efficient light conversion systems

Recent Publications

◆"A Nanocomposite Superstructure of Metal Oxides with Effective Charge Transfer Interfaces", Nat. Commun., 5:3038 (2014).

◆"Au/TiO2 Superstructure-Based Plasmonic Photocatalysts Exhibiting Efficient Charge Separation and Unprecedented Activity", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 136(1), 458-465 (2014).

◆"Super-Resolution Mapping of Reactive Sites on Titania-Based Nanoparticles with Water-Soluble Fluorogenic Probes", ACS Nano, 7(1), 263-275 (2013).

◆"Superstructure of TiO2 Crystalline Nanoparticles Yields Effective Conduction Pathways for Photogenerated Charges", J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 3(11), 1422-1427 (2012).

◆"Evidence for Crystal-Face-Dependent TiO2 Photocatalysis from Single-Molecule Imaging and Kinetic Analysis", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 133(18), 7197-7204 (2011).