Kenji Takada Kenji Takada

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University *Profile is at the time of the award.

2026HagukumuScience & Engineering(hagukumu)

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Research topics: Fabrication of Next-generation Engineering Plastics Based on Sugar Units

Keyword

Summary: This study aims to develop new high-performance plastics derived from trehalose, a naturally occurring disaccharide. By designing and synthesizing monomers based on the trehalose structure, high-performance polymers such as polyamides and polyimides will be prepared and their properties evaluated. The approach will also be extended to other disaccharides including maltose and lactose to establish general molecular design principles for sugar-based engineering plastics. The results are expected to contribute to the development of sustainable polymer materials that combine high performance with the use of renewable resources.

Message

Sugars have attracted increasing attention as renewable resources, yet their application to high-performance materials remains limited. This research aims to develop bio-based polymers with properties comparable to conventional petroleum-derived materials by designing new molecular structures that utilize the unique three-dimensional features of sugars. Through this approach, we seek to demonstrate the potential of sugar-derived molecules as building blocks for advanced polymer materials and to provide new design guidelines for sustainable, high-performance materials.