Our originality is "MEMS".
My microfabrication techniques can integrate actuators and sensors into TEM, enabling observation of samples and phenomena that have not been observed before.
In other words, our MEMS with TEM setup enables the novel in-situ observations.
The mission of our research is to clarify "why friction occurs", "why wear occurs" and "why adhesion occurs" from a microscopic viewpoint.
Our vision is that our microscopic approach will clarify which specifically phenomena dominately affect the empirical parameters exhibited by friction laws.
We, who can observe the actual contact area of single-asperity friction, will be able to get critical results that specifies the mechanisms of those empirical parameters by material sciences such as Strength of materials and Dislocation theory.
The ultimate goal of my research is to provide the material guideline for improving tribology characteristcs suggesting how to precisely controll friction, adhesion and wear as desired.
That's related technologies such as improving the energy conversion efficiency, reducing mechanical failiures, restrain the vibration noise, and more accurately predicting of earthquakes and landslides.
