Prof. Takahiro Namazu
Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Japan

Speech Title: How can we make carbon nanotubes large enough to be used as engineering materials?

Abstract: Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), a representative nanocarbon material, are expected to serve as a structural material for space elevators due to their exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. To utilize SWCNTs as mechanical engineering materials soon, it is strongly required to increase the size of SWCNTs while maintaining their excellent mechanical properties. However, in practice, many defects are introduced in bundled and yarned CNTs during the enlargement process, resulting in a significant reduction in strength. In this presentation, practical methods for bundling and sizing up SWCNTs based on recent strength evaluation results are discussed to maintain their superior mechanical strength values.

Biography: Takahiro Namazu is a Professor with the Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University of Advanced Science (KUAS), Japan. He is currently engaged in studies on functional film materials, such as self-propagating exothermic materials, and their applications to micro/nano electro-mechanical systems (NMEMS). His research interests also include the development of material testing techniques for measuring the mechanical properties of micro/nanoscale materials, such as carbon nanotubes and silicon nanowires, which focuses on clarifying the nanomaterials' size effect phenomena and these mechanisms. The evaluation of the reliability of NMEMS and semiconductor devices is included as well in his interests for realizing the design of ultra-long life microdevices.
Dr. Namazu has earned over 20 research awards for his outstanding materials research results and his contributions to the evolution of the micro/nanoscale materials science field in the world.

 

Prof. Kwang Leong Choy
Duke Kunshan University, China

Speech Title: Advanced Engineered Materials for Sustainable Energy Solutions

Abstract: The use of advanced nanostructured materials to address global challenges in energy will be highlighted. The design of earth abundant and novel nanostructured materials for sustainability and renewable energy will be presented. Furthermore, this keynote establishes composition-structure-property correlations in nanoscale architectures derived from abundant precursors, enabling their precise optimization for energy conversion. A key innovation and highlight is the development of transition metal-doped chalcogenide nanocatalysts, for solar-driven hydrogen production via photocatalytic reforming. This approach achieves exceptional H₂ evolution rates by synergistically enhancing visible-light absorption, charge separation kinetics, and surface redox activity. Crucially, we demonstrate the dual-function application of these catalysts: simultaneous valorization of non-recyclable plastic waste (e.g., polyethylene, PET) and generation of green hydrogen. This strategy directly addresses plastic pollution while producing carbon-neutral fuel. The presentation will elucidate catalyst design principles, mechanistic insights into plastic photoreforming pathways. This work establishes a transformative paradigm for circular economy solutions, converting waste hydrocarbons into sustainable hydrogen energy using sunlight-driven earth-abundant materials.

Biography: Kwang Leong Choy is a Professor of Materials Science and Co-Director of the Environment Research Centre at Duke Kunshan University (DKU). She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford and a Doctor of Science from the University of Nottingham. Before joining DKU, she was a faculty member at Imperial College London and the University of Nottingham, and later served as a professor and the founding Director of the Institute for Materials Discovery at University College London (UCL).
Professor Choy has been awarded Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Mining and Minerals (FIMMM) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). Her outstanding contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Grunfeld Medal Prize and the Kroll Medal & Prize. With over 330 publications, four authored books, and 20 patents to her name, she is a prolific researcher and innovator.
Professor Choy has delivered more than 150 plenary talks, keynote addresses, and invited lectures at international conferences. Her work has earned her the Award of Excellence from the Association of American Publishers, and since 2019, she has been consistently ranked among the world's top 1% most-cited scientists by Stanford University. Her research focuses on the fundamental and applied studies of earth-abundant materials, eco-friendly processes, and sustainability, with a strong track record of translating cutting-edge technologies into real-world applications.

 

Prof. Gen Sasaki
Hiroshima University, Japan

Speech Titlte: Effect of the surface structure of carbon materials on reactivity with aluminum

Abstract: Carbon materials dispersed aluminum matrix composites are expected to be used as heat sink materials. Unfortunately, carbon reacts with aluminum to form aluminum carbide (Al4C3), thermodynamically, which reduces mechanical properties and thermal conductivity. Therefore, this reactivity must be suppressed for practical use. On the other hand, there are various types of carbon materials, for example, graphite, carbon fiber, and carbon nanofiber, and their surface morphologies differ. In this study, to clarify the effect of surface morphology on reactivity, the difference in reactivity between carbon nanofiber (Showa Denko VGCF), pitch-based carbon fiber (Mitsubishi Chemical), PAN-based carbon fiber (Toray), and graphite and aluminum was clarified. The surface structure of each carbon material was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Each carbon material was mixed with aluminum powder, and composites were obtained by solid-phase sintering using a spark plasma sintering equipment. The carbon-aluminum interface in each composite was observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. As a result, the carbon nanofiber was covered with a hexagonal basal plane (C plane), and reactive dangling bonds were hardly observed. On the other hand, although the fiber axis of pitch-based carbon fiber and PAN-based carbon fiber (Toray) is aligned along the C-axis, their fiber surface is covered with a disordered structure, and it is expected that there will be a lot of dangling bonds. At the interface in carbon nanofibers/ aluminum composites fabricated by the spark plasma sintering, no clear reaction layer was observed. On the other hand, Al4C3, which appears to be needle-shaped crystalline, was formed in the other fibers. In particular, the growth of needle-shaped crystals was observed by annealing in the obtained composites. From these results, it is believed that carbon nanofibers, which are covered with the C-plane and have a carbon surface with few defects, have low reactivity and therefore excellent thermal conductivity and are excellent as dispersion materials for carbon material/aluminum composites with excellent mechanical properties.

Biography: Gen Sasaki was a professor at Hiroshima University since April 2006 and retired in March 2025. He is currently a professor emeritus at Hiroshima University. In 1988, he graduated from the doctoral course at the Graduate School of Engineering at Tohoku University. After obtaining his doctorate in engineering, he worked at Toyota Automatic Loom Works Co. Ltd., and in 2000, he became a research associate at the National Defense Academy of Japan. In 2002, he worked as a research associate and lecturer at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo. In 2005, he became an associate professor at the Faculty of Engineering at Hiroshima University. He subsequently became affiliated with the Graduate School of Engineering and the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering. In academic circles, he has served as the head of the Mechanical Materials and Materials Processing Division of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, director, editor-in-chief, and Western Branch Chief of the Japan Society for Composite Materials, director of the Japan Institute of Metals, and branch chief of the Chugoku-Shikoku Branch. In particular, he has served as director and vice president of the Japan Institute of Light Metals from May 2023 to the present. He is also currently a fellow of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Japan Society for Composite Materials.
In his research, he has been studying the processing of metal matrix composite materials for many years, and has clarified the relationship between mechanical and functional properties and microstructure. With regard to processing, he has proposed a method of spontaneously or at low pressure impregnation of porous reinforcing materials, and a method of manufacturing composite materials using severe deformation processing. He has also analyzed the structure of interfaces in composite materials at the atomic level. In recent years, he has developed models and simulations that clarify the effect of the microstructural morphology of metal matrix composite materials on their electrical and thermal conductivity, and is conducting research to explore new applications for metal matrix composite materials.

 

Prof. Hisaki Watari
Tokyo Denki University, Japan

Biography: Hisaki Watari is a Professor in Divion of Mechanical Engineering at Faculty of Science and Technology of Tokyo Denki University (Hatoyama Campus) since April 2015. From 2017 to the present, he served as Division Chair of the Division of Mechanical Engineering of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Tokyo Denki University. He received a B.Engng. from Kyushu University in Naval Architecture, 1985 in the School of Engineering at Kyushu University. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical System engineering from Gunma University in Japan, 2006. Since April in 1988, he worked at Oyama National College of Technology as a Research Associate, Lecturer and Associate Professor until November 2006. Between 1999 and 2000, he visited at UMIST as a visiting researcher of Japanese Government. From November 2006 to March 2015, he worked as a Associate Professor and a Professor at Gunma University. From April 2015 to the present, he has been working at Tokyo Denki University as a full-time Professor. He has served as a chair of the Japan Association of Aluminum Forging Technology since 2014.

His research interests span both manufacturing process and material science. Much of his work has been on improving the understanding, manufacturing, material processing, mainly through the application of casting of magnesium alloys and aluminum alloy, shaping such as cold roll forming and hot forging. In the roll casting of magnesium alloys, he has worked on characterizing the casting of rapid cooling of magnesium alloys by twin-roll casting. He is now the chair of the Japan Association of Aluminum Forging Technology. He has published a lot of research papers in journals and conducting works relating materials processing technology of light metals, such as aluminum and magnesium alloys.