EES seminar by Mr. Toshiyuki Sasaki on December 8

We will have an EES seminar on 8th December at 16:45-18:00 as follows. We look forward to your participation.

Date: 8th December 2025, 16:45～18:00
Place: D201, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University
Presenter:  Mr. Toshiyuki Sasaki
(Diffraction and Scattering Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute)
Talk title: Unveiling the Unseen World: Advanced Structural Analysis Pioneering New Material Discovery

Talk summary：

Just as diamond and pencil lead are both made of carbon, a material’s function is determined by its atomic arrangement (structure). This principle guides functional material development for environmental and energy solutions. This seminar will first explore the structure-function relationship, introducing how SPring-8’s synchrotron X-ray enables atomic-level visualization of molecular assemblies. However, even powerful X-rays faced an “X-ray wall” in determining the structure of ultrafine nanocrystals smaller than a few hundred nanometers. This challenge led to MicroED (Microcrystal Electron Diffraction), a cutting-edge technique using a transmission electron microscope. Leveraging electron beams’ ~10,000 times stronger interaction with matter compared to X-rays, MicroED is a groundbreaking method that reveals the atomic-level structures of nanocrystals previously invisible to X-rays. In the latter half, I will present our research strategy, integrating new material synthesis and advanced structural analysis (synchrotron X-rays and MicroED). Through concrete case studies, including the elucidation of long-mysterious molecular assembly structures via MicroED, I will explain how this “making” and “seeing” fusion pioneers new frontiers in material creation.

Poster