Fukumura group | Tohoku university

Welcome to the Fukumura Research Group!

This website is the homepage of Inorganic Solid State Chemistry Laboratory in Tohoku University.

Our group's aim is to construct scientific foundation to discover, create, understand and develop novel functionalities in various solid materials, such as oxides, by means of nano- to macro-scale state-of-the-art experimental techniques.

We are looking for graduate students, both inside and outside of the university!

If you are interested in our laboratory, please feel free to contact Prof. Fukumura.

04.19.2025 - Update in Album.
04.14.2025 - Update in Members, Papers, Books/Reviews, Presentations, and Album.
04.02.2025 - A new publication by Yuzuki Uchida in ACS Applied Electronic Materials (open access). This is a study on transparent conductor Nd-doped TiO₂ menbrenes, collaborated with Prof. Seung Sae Hong (UC Davis). The publication / List of papers
03.14.2025 - A new publication by Sumireno Uramoto in RSC Applied Interfaces. This is a study on LaH₂ thin films fabricated with the sputtering method, collaborated with Hideyuki Kawasoko sensei (Tokyo Metropolitan University). The publication / List of papers
03.04.2025 - A new publication by Zhengkang Peng in Journal of Materials Chemistry C. This is a study on bismuth-based mixed-anion compound thin films fabricated with the mist CVD method, collaborated with Daichi Oka sensei (Tokyo Metropolitan University). The publication / List of papers
02.15.2025 - A Japanese review article on rare earth monoxides in the journal Kotai Butsuri.
02.03.2025 - A short-term international student from Belgium joins our group until mid-May.
01.27.2025 - A new publication by Ramchandra Sahoo in Chemistry Letters. This is a study on high-quality EuO thin films fabricated using Nd:YAG laser. The publication / List of papers

News archive

Superb functionalities beyond our imagination are often hidden in newly synthesized compounds. Our group aims to develop methodology to understand the laws of nature by synthesizing new inorganic/organic solids and by exploring novel physical/chemical properties. To this end, we design compounds with novel functionalities based on solid state physics and chemistry, develop new synthetic routes, and conduct measurements using state-of-the-art techniques. Such basic research solidifies scientific foundation to trigger next generation innovations.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Electric-Field-Induced Ferromagnetism

Co-doped TiO2 is a ferromagnetic semiconductor. Because this material possesses quite high Currie temperature (~600 K) unlike the other ferromagnetic semiconductors, the mechanism of the ferromagnetism has long been argued. In this study, the room-temperature ferromagnet is induced by electric field in an electric double layer transistor device. Lightly Co-doped specimen shows paramagnetism in case of low carrier density. By applying large electric field to accumulate electron carriers in the device, the electron carriers induce ferromagnetism. This result clearly demonstrates that the ferromagnetism in Co-doped TiO2 is caused by the carrier mediated exchange interaction.