A new ASPIRE project, which JST supports, was launched in 2024 by the PI of Junichiro Shiomi (Univ. Tokyo). ASPIRE is a research support program designed to:(1) Build a network among the world's top research talent. (2) Promote Japan's participation in the international top research community. (3) Nurture and mobilize future research leaders. The project title is "Interdisciplinary research of EXtreme Aspect-Ratio (EXAR) nanomaterials". This project aims to functionalize the mechanical, thermal, dielectric, and optical emission/absorption properties of assemblies composed of three types of extreme aspect ratio (EXAR) nanomaterials—cellulose nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and spider silk—through physical and chemical control of their higher-order structures. Leading researchers from Japan, Sweden, the United States, and Germany will collaborate to form an interdisciplinary community. The project will promote cross-disciplinary research through mutual visits by young researchers and establishing laboratories as physical hubs for collaboration. This will lead to a deeper understanding of novel material properties, increased efficiency in material development, and the creation of composite materials that exhibit synergistic effects between different components. These advancements will contribute to innovations in sustainable materials, such as electronic substrates for Beyond 5G and radiative cooling materials. The project will also nurture the next generation of top scientists by leveraging the team's extensive experience and well-developed schemes for fostering young researchers.

The "PIRE-JUNCTION" project, which the NSF-US and the JSPS-JPN support, is "Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE)"-"Japan-US Network for Clean Energy Technologies Involving Oriented Nanotubes (JUNCTION)". In this project, we will advance clean energy science and technologies using nanotubes and nanomaterials through various joint researches between US and Japan.

Here, we organize the ASPIRE & PIRE joint workshop on Nanotubes. This workshop is intended to provide a forum for discussing science, measurement techniques, and applications related to Nanotubes. We hope the workshop can facilitate active collaborations among this project. In this workshop, we have invited talks regarding the topics of nanotubes, including carbon nanotubes and in-organic nanotubes (hetero-nanotubes). We also offer a unique opportunity for you to present your work through a poster presentation. Your contribution will be a valuable addition to our workshop. If you want to join the WS with or without a poster presentation, please register here by the end of May. 2025.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Univ. Tokyo!

Kazuhiro YANAGI (Tokyo Metropolitan Univ.), Yaerim LEE (Univ. Tokyo)

Speakers

JAPAN PIs (ASPIRE & PIRE):

• Junichiro Shiomi (Univ. Tokyo)
• Kazuhiro Yanagi (Tokyo Metropolitan Univ.)
• Keiji Numata (Kyoto Univ.)
• Yuichiro Kato (RIKEN)
• Zheng Liu (AIST)
• Yuhei Miyauchi (Kyoto Univ.)

Oversea PIs:

• Geoff Wehmeyer (Rice Univ., US)
• Vasili Perebeinos (Univ. Buffalo., US)
• Jana Zaumseil (Univ. Heiderberg, Germany)

Invited:

• Yusuke Nakanishi (Univ. Tokyo, Japan)
• Sofie Cambre (Univ. Antwerp, Belgium)
• Thomas Pichler (Univ. Vienna, Austria)

Special Invited:

• Shigeo Maruyama (Zhejiang Uni., Univ. Tokyo, and Nagoya Univ.)

Invited for the session on the international exchange program:

• Ben Hilam (Univ. Utah, US)
• Shigeki Saito (Tokyo Metropolitan Univ.)
• Shinichiro Matano (Kyoto Univ.)

Program