We are studying chemical physics of complex condensed matters, especially glasses and supercooled liquids, water and related materials, ionic liquids, and porous materials. Glass transition is a mysterious phenomenon in which liquids solidify without structural change. This is one of the big and long-standing issues in physics. Water, which is the most familiar material for us, exhibits various unique phenomena caused by hydrogen bonds. Ionic liquids have nanometer-size domains and hierarchical dynamics generated by competing electrostatic and van der Waals interactions. Molecules and ions confined in porous materials such as MOF (Metal Organic Framework) give rise to unusual structure and dynamics caused by the surface effects and resultant distorted potential energy surfaces. These substances are investigated by neutron scattering, x-ray diffraction, heat capacity, and dielectric measurements. Our aim is to find simple (?) rules involved in complex systems from the three different points of view, i.e., structure, dynamics, and thermodynamic.

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• Research Highlights