International Collaborative Research by Second-Year Doctoral Student Miori Nogamida Published in Chemical Science

An international collaborative research project participated in by Miori Nogamida, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Applied Chemistry at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering and a member of the Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, has been published in Chemical Science, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). Nogamida joined this project during his study abroad period at the laboratory of Professor Ralf I. Kaiser at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, one of Chuo University’s overseas partner institutions.

In this study, the research team irradiated low-temperature diborane (B₂H₆) ices with electron beams, successfully capturing the elusive dibridged diboranyl (B₂H₅) radical, which had previously been difficult to identify through direct spectroscopic analysis. Furthermore, the team demonstrated that higher boranes, up to B₁₂, are formed under non-equilibrium conditions.

At the Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Nogamida focuses his research on the reaction mechanisms of high-energy materials, including potential fuels for space exploration. In this project, she contributed to the analysis of the experimental data. This achievement showcases the successful expansion of his core research in theoretical chemistry into low-temperature spectroscopy experiments and international collaborative research.

Nogamida’s study abroad at the University of Hawaiʻi was supported by the Chuo Promotion for Research Activities in Doctoral Courses (D-CPRA), a Chuo University program designed to assist doctoral students in overseas study and international research placements. The program is funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) under the Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation (SPRING) program.

【Publication Details】
Title: Non-Equilibrium Formation of the Elusive Dibridged Diboranyl (B₂H₅) Radical and Boranes in Low-Temperature Diborane Ices

Authors: Jia Wang, Joshua H. Marks, Chaojiang Zhang, Andrew Martin Turner, Mason McAnally, Miori Nogamida, Ralf I. Kaiser

Journal: Chemical Science

DOI: 10.1039/D6SC04215E

Theoretical Chemistry Lab.