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Research paper−45−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.2 No.1 pp.45-54 (Jun. 2009) expect major results by ingeniously combining Type 1 Basic Research and material R&D.However, effective collaboration between material development and basic material analysis is not generally easy, and much effort and trial and error are required. This is a common issue for R&D in other fields also. Our group engaged in discussions to shape our direction, and was able to achieve some success through collaboration between the development and basic analysis. We shall introduce our experience and results in this paper, and share some of the lessons we learned. Particularly, we shall discuss the role and significance of basic material analysis (Type 1 Basic Research) in material development.2 Importance of basic analysis for energy and environmental materialsMany ubiquitous energy devices such as fuel cells, Li-ion batteries, hydrogen storage devices, and devices for production and refinement of hydrogen gases utilize exchange of electrons during the reaction of molecules and absorption/desorption of ions at the electrode, as well as various reactions and absorption/desorption of energy media. While it is believed that unique properties and phenomena of nano-particles, nanostructures, and surface/interface dominate the function, details of the mechanism have not been clarified.1 IntroductionWith the advent of the ubiquitous information society, lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries and fuel cells are drawing attention as portable power source for cell phones and mobile PC. Portable power sources, which are lightweight, high output, high capacity, highly durable, and environment-friendly, are important for use in robots, various medical devices, and small transportation device such as electric wheelchair, to serve the society with advanced medical welfare. By achieving higher output, they can be applied further as power sources for electric vehicles and hybrid cars, and are expected to have great impact on the environment. Energy storage and hydrogen gas refinement technologies are important to support the power source devices. The development of excellent functional materials for electrode, catalyst, and storage of hydrogen and ions is positioned at the center of the development of such ubiquitous energy device. Since they must clear high hurdles of output/weight ratio, safety, and environmental compatibility, the role of functional material development is extremely significant. In our research institute, R&D is mainly focused on the development of functional materials[1][2]. The Authors have been conducting research on basic material analysis combining nano-structure analysis using transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation and scanning probe microscope (SPM) and theoretical computations such as first-principles calculation[3]-[5]. We can - Applications to positive electrode materials of Li-ion batteries, electrode catalysts of proton-exchange fuel cells and gold catalysts -Masanori Kohyama1*, Tomoki Akita1, Shingo Tanaka1, Yasushi Maeda1, Koji Tanaka1, Kazuyuki Okazaki2 and Jun Kikkawa31. Research Institute for Ubiquitous-Energy Devices, AIST Midorigaoka 1-8-31, Ikeda 563-8577, Japan *E-mail : m-kohyama@aist.go.jp, 2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University Yamadaoka 2-1, Suita 565-0871, Japan, 3. School of Engineering Science, Osaka University Machikaneyamacho 1-3, Toyonaka 560-8531, JapanReceived original manuscript October 21,2008, Revisions received December 9,2008, Accepted December 9,2008For ubiquitous-energy devices, the development of well-performing functional materials is the key issue. Effective collaboration between development researchers and researchers carrying out basic materials analysis using electron microscopy observations, surface-science observations and theoretical calculations is of great importance. We have previously discussed the role of basic materials research in our discussion of full research and have made efforts to carry out a successful collaboration. To this end, we have attained valuable contributions to materials development as well as high-level scientific achievements as substantiated by numerous awards through the development of original observational and calculation techniques relating to the positive electrode material of Li-ion batteries, the electrode catalysts of proton-exchange fuel cells and gold/oxide catalysts.Basic materials research for the development of ubiquitous-energy devicesKeywords : Materials for energy and environmental problems, basic materials research, electron microscope observation, first-principles calculation, lithium-ion battery, fuel-cell electrode, gold catalyst[Translation from Synthesiology, Vol.2, No.1, p.42-50 (2009)]

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