Hara & Ishikawa Lab. is a group specializing in materials, surfaces, chemistry and catalysis

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Oct. 14, 25

We successfully measured the vibrational spectrum of nitrogen molecules (N₂) adsorbed on iron, which had never been observed before. The results suggest that iron may surpass other metals in its ability to dissociate nitrogen molecules and synthesize ammonia. The figure shows that the N₂ vibration band appears at 2200 cm⁻¹ when adsorbed on ruthenium (Ru). The vibrational frequency is inversely proportional to the bond length, that is, to the bond strength. In contrast, N₂ adsorbed on pure iron exhibits a much lower frequency at 2040 cm⁻¹ compared to that on ruthenium. This indicates that iron can more easily dissociate nitrogen molecules into nitrogen atoms than ruthenium and therefore possesses a much higher potential for ammonia synthesis.These findings may provide a key to understanding why the Inverse catalyst, composed of iron, exhibits exceptionally high ammonia synthesis activity that has never been achieved before.

Sep. 26, 25

Ammon Fields Inc. simultaneously received two awards at the Ecotech Grand Prix 2025 for ammonia production using our Inverse Catalyst produced from "rust". The reasons for the awards are as follows:
(1) The Ieverse Catalyst demonstrated that the truly important metric in practical ammonia production is the “synthesis rate per catalyst volume,” and that the commonly used index “synthesis rate per catalyst weight” has no practical significance.
(2) In terms of actual ammonia productivity, while all catalysts developed to date have fallen short of the industrial catalyst designed more than a century ago, the Reverse Catalyst has been demonstrated to deliver over three times the productivity.

Original paper of Inverse Catalyst: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202410313

Video with English subtitles: see above.

Sep. 18, 25

I commend the efforts of Mr. Numata, Ms. Shimizu, and Mr. Suzuki for their oral presentations at the 136th Catalysis Conference. Notably, this conference marked the first opportunity to present, in an oral session, our unprecedented high-performance ammonia synthesis catalyst, the “Inverse catalyst”. Although this catalyst has already been published in a paper, we received numerous comments such as “unbelievable.” To us, this is a badge of honor.

Aug. 25, 25

Special thanks to Ruriko Nekojima (https://x.com/ruriko_neko)!! I learned today that the number of views to our lab's website skyrocketed in June. This is thanks to the buzz caused by a post made by Nekojima around June 6th. Thank you to Nekojima.

Aug. 23, 25

Aisha Faisal, an international student from Imperial College London, has returned to Japan. Despite being a young third-year undergraduate student, she has succeeded in the difficult task of measuring the infrared spectrum of nitrogen molecules adsorbed on a catalyst. This is a result that can be published in an international paper. Congratulations to Faisal

Aug. 20, 25

Tomoyasu Kanno (M2, Inorganic Materials) was selected as the course representative at the autumn graduation ceremony! His research results and presentation on the "phenol to aniline" catalyst he created were highly praised. Congratulations!