Prof. Hiroshi YabuJapan
Tohoku University
| 2023/04 to present | | Professor/PI, WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
| 2022/10 to present | | Deputy Director, Open Innovation Center of Hydrogen Science for GX, WPI-AIMR, Tohoku University, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
| 2019/07 to present | | Co-founder, Board Member and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), AZUL Energy, Inc. Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
| 2016 - 2022 | | Associate Professor/Jr PI, WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
| 2010 - 2016 | | Associate Professor, Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials (IMRAM), Tohoku University, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
| 2007 - 2010 | | Assistant Professor, Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials (IMRAM), Tohoku University, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
| 2012/10 - 2016/03 | | PRESTO Researcher, “Molecular Technology and Creation of New Functions” Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Japan |
| 2008/10 - 2012/03 | | PRESTO Researcher, “Nanosystem and Function Emergence” Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Japan |
| 2004/07 - 2007/09 | | Visiting Researcher, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN Institute), Japan |
| 2026 | | The 43rd CSJ Award for Creative Work, The Chemical Society of Japan |
| 2025 | | TOKYO PRIZE Carbon Reduction, ANRI/Tokyo Government, Japan |
| 2019 | | Distinguished Researcher, Tohoku University, Japan |
Polymer Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Electrocatalysts
Metal-Azaphthalocyanine-Based Electrocatalysts for Varioous Electrochemical Reactions
TBA TBA
Polymer Chemistry: Hybrid Materials and Applications/TBA
Metal phthalocyanines (MPcs) and meatal azaphthalocyanines (MAzPcs) are known as chemically stable pigments and organic semiconductors for coloration materials and compounds for organic photovoltaics and transistors. Recently, those molecules have attracted attentions as electrocatalysts for various electrochemical reactions. We have developed electrocatalysts, in which MPcs or MAzPcs are molecularly adsorbed on carbon materials, for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and have named them AZaphthalocyanine Unimoleuclar Layer (AZUL) catalysts. The AZUL catalysts exhibit high ORR and HER performances comparable with Pt/C and other precious metal alternative catalysts in an alkaline condition. By using those electrocatalysts, Zn-air batteries with high voltage over 2.0 V, metal-air paper batteries for emergency power sources, anion exchange membrane (AEM) type water electrolysis and fuel cells have been developed. Also, electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) catalysts have been developed with forming crystalline structures of MPcs and MAzPcs on gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs).