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Dr. Furukawa received his BS degree in Chemistry from Yokohama National University in 1995, and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from University of Tokyo in 2000. That same year he moved to Waseda University as a Research Associate to start his academic career. He received a fellowship in 2003 from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for Japanese young scientists. In this period he worked with Dr. Yaghi in Department of Chemistry at University of Michigan. He learned all the techniques required to characterize porous materials and measure the properties. Dr. Furukawa moved to Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at University of California - Los Angeles in 2006 with Dr. Yaghi. Since then he is focusing on the gas adsorption and separation properties of crystalline porous materials. His current position is a research scientist at Department of Chemistry, University of California.

Education

1995-2000	University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Ph.D, Thesis Advisor- Professor Tadashi Watanabe
1991-1995	Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan B. S., Engineering

Employment Summary

2013-Present	Research Scientist, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California
2011-Present	Research Scientist, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
2006-2011	Post-doctral Fellow, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
2005-2006	Post-doctral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
2003-2004	JSPS Fellow, Energy Electronics Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
2002-2003	AIST Research Staff, Energy Electronics Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
2000-2002	Research Associate, Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

Synergistic Activities, Award, and Honor

2012-Present	Scientific Advisor for Carbon Capture and Sequestration Center, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia
2012-Present	Visiting Researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
2012-2013	Visiting Researcher at The University of California
2010-Present	Scientific Advisor for Center for Molecular and Nanoarchitecture (MANAR), Vietnam
2003-2004	Visiting Scholar at The University of Michigan
2003-2004	JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
2000-2005	Visiting Researcher at The University of Tokyo (Institute of Industrial Science, IIS)

1. Design and construction of porous frameworks from molecular building blocks of inorganic clusters (2003-)

Design of framework structures in which metal oxides clusters act as 'joints' and the organic linkers as 'struts' to produce highly porous crystals (ca. 10,000 m²/g) with the lowest density ever recorded for a crystalline material. These remarkable properties are found to be useful in gas storage, in particular hydrogen and methane storage for fueling automobiles, laptops, cellular phones and other mobile electronics. My current research interest is focused on the discovery of new MOFs and related materials for their energy applications.

2. Electrochemical properties of various electrode materials (2002-2003)

For popularization of electric vehicles and actualization of compact electric power plants, it is necessary to develop new battery systems that can keep high-rate discharge for a long time. To this end, nano-structured amorphous TiO2/acetylene black composite electrodes was prepared by a sol-gel route employing Ti(IV) alkoxide as a starting agent. The obtained composites showed high specific capacity (above 125 mA h g^-1) under relatively large current density. Ordered mesoporous carbon containing ferrocene derivative (Fc-MC) with a hexagonal framework structure has also been prepared using a SBA-15 silica template. The electric double-layer capacitance of Fc-MC increases in comparison with that of pure mesoporous carbon.

3. Fabrication of inorganic-organic nano-composites (2000-2002)

FSM-type mesoporous silica (FSM) modified with various diols has been utilized as an inorganic medium for immobilizing Chl a without denaturation. The energy transfer from Chl b to Chl a in the mesopores was also observed for the first time. Moreover, Chl derivatives possessing triethoxysilyl groups were synthesized and grafted on FSM to construct an efficient energy transfer system between the chromophores. Similar energy transfer behavior has been observed in the layered silica/surfactant mesostructured thin films containing Chl derivatives. When the thin film was formed on ITO electrode modified with Chl monolayer, efficient photocurrent generation (i.e. electron transfer from pigments to electrode) was also observed.

4. Aggregation behaviors of chlorophyllous pigments (1995-2000)

Aggregation behaviors of chlorophyllous pigments are influenced by the difference in the substituents of chlorophylls (Chls). To investigate supramolecular structure of the aggregate of Chls and their spectroscopic properties (i.e. visible absorption, fluorescence, resonance Raman and circular dichroism), a series of Chl derivatives possessing a variety of the C13⁴ substituent were synthesized. It was concluded that the difference between the supramolecular structures of the Chl aggregates depends not simply on the steric hindrance between the balky substituents but also on a possibility to form the rigid intermolecular hydrogen-bonding networks.

Department of Chemistry, University of California
210 Lewis Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Phone: 510-643-3832
E-mail: ahoaho53@hotmail.com