What is Multi-Physics Computational Science ?
Urgent and prompt countermeasure is strongly required for solving the energy and environmental problems, for realizing the safe and secure society, and for vitalizing the economics in the world. For that purpose, the development of the super-precise and super-miniaturized system and the high-functional and high-performance materials is essential in a wide variety of research fields such as fuel cell, solar cell, clean energy, micromachine, tribology, electric car, aerospace instrument, power plant, hydrogen station, electronics, etc.
In order to create the world's leading-edge system and material technology for next-generation, the simulation and theoretical design of chemical reaction, structure, fluid, function, property, etc is strongly required. Especially, the recent system, process, and material technologies are progressing toward the super-precision and super-miniaturization and constitute of the complicated multi-physics phenomena including chemical reaction, friction, impact, stress, fluid, photon, electron, heat, electric and magnetic fields etc. Therefore, the individual and simple understanding of the chemical reaction, structure, and fluid on atomic-scale as well as the function and property on μm/cm/m-scale is insufficient for the development of the next-generation system and material, and then the multiple and deep understanding of the above complicated multi-physics phenomena are significantly essential. However, the traditional mechanical engineering is based on the macroscopic science and continuum approach such as the mechanics of machinery, mechanics of material, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics and then it can not solve the recent problems and not investigate the leading-edge research themes in a wide range of research fields because the multi-physics phenomena on electronic- and atomic-scale extremely affect the macro-scale function and performance in the state-of-the-art technologies.
Therefore, Kubo laboratory aims to pioneer and develop the multi-physics computational science simulation technology based on the first-principles molecular dynamics and SCF-tight-binding molecular dynamics simulation for clarifying the multi-physics phenomena including chemical reaction, friction, impact, stress, fluid, photon, electron, heat, electronic and magnetic fields on atomic- and electronic-scale.
Furthermore, Kubo laboratory aims to realize the breakthrough of the multi-physics computational science in a variety of research fields such as (1) Energy System Field, (2) Tribology Field, (3) Micromachine and Electronics Field, (4) Power Plant Field and others in order to realize the leading-edge and innovative function, performance, and property on macro-scale by the electronic- and atomic-scale control of the multi-physics phenomena. For that purpose, we integrate first-principles molecular dynamics and SCF-tight-binding molecular dynamics simulations on electronic- and atomic-scale and finite element and fluid dynamics methods on macro-scale. Kubo laboratory applies the above new simulation technology to fuel cell, solar cell, clean energy, micromachine, MEMS, tribology, electric car, aerospace instrument, power plant, hydrogen station, electronics, display, light- and laser-emitting diode, photocatalysis, environmental catalysis etc. and then contributes to solving the energy and environmental problems, to realizing safe and secure society and to creating new industry and market.
Application Fields of Multi-Physics Computational Science Simulation
Multi-Physics Computational Science Simulation for “Energy System Field”
Much attention has been paid to the fuel cell as next-generation energy system. Fuel cell is an integrated technology of mechanical engineering, continuum mechanics, electrochemistry, surface science, catalysis, chemical engineering, etc. and is a notable example of which property and functionality on nano-scale influences macro-scale performance and degradation property. Then, the deep understanding of the multi-physics phenomena including chemical reaction, electric potential, diffusion, fluid, electron conduction, heat transfer etc. is essential for the design and development of the fuel cell system. For example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is expected as an electric power supply for automotive car and, however many problems have still remained for its industrialization such as catalytic activity, dissolution of metal, oxygen diffusivity, water accumulation, temperature distribution etc. These problems are widespread from electronic- and atomic-scale to macro-scale and then the clarification of the multi-physics phenomena from electronic- and atomic-scale to macro-scale is strongly required. Furthermore, the design and development of the solar cell, secondary battery, and other energy systems also request the deep understanding of the multi-physics phenomena from electronic- and atomic-scale to macro-scale.
Therefore, Kubo laboratory aims to establish the multi-physics computational science simulation technology for pioneering the macro-scale system, process, and material design based on the electronic- and atomic-scale understanding of the multi-physics phenomena in “Energy System Field”. For that purpose, we integrate a wide variety of simulation technologies from first-principles molecular dynamics to continuum mechanics. Furthermore, we realize the breakthrough for the high-accuracy and high-speed system, process, and material design in a wide variety of energy systems such as fuel cell, solar cell, and secondary battery on the basis of the clarification of the multi-physics phenomena by our new simulation technology.
Multi-Physics Computational Science Simulation for “Tribology Field”
Tribology is very important technology in a wide-range of industries such as aerospace instrument, automotive cars, computer hard-disk and so on. The energy and cost loss by friction in all industrial products including automotive cars is estimated to be about 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in Japan. The reduction of the energy and cost loss produced by the friction significantly contributes to solving the energy problem. In order to tackle the above problem, continuum mechanics methods such as fluid dynamics have been employed to simulate the friction and lubrication dynamics at solid-solid and solid-liquid interface in the mechanical engineering field. However, recently the deep understanding of the formation process of lubrication film, the friction reduction assisted by chemical reaction, the decomposition and degradation of lubrication film under friction and severe environmental condition on electronic- and atomic-scale becomes most important topics. However, these are multi-physics phenomena including chemical reactions, friction, stress, fluid, heat etc. and then the traditional simulation methods based on the continuum mechanics cannot investigate and solve the above problems.
Therefore, Kubo laboratory aims to establish the multi-physics computational science simulation technology for pioneering the macro-scale system, process, and material design based on the electronic- and atomic-scale understanding of the multi-physics phenomena in “Tribology” Field. For that purpose, we integrate a wide variety of simulation technologies from first-principles molecular dynamics to continuum mechanics. Furthermore, we realize the breakthrough for the high-accuracy and high-speed system, process, and material design in a wide variety of tribology systems in aerospace instrument, automotive cars, computer hard-disk and others on the basis of the clarification of the multi-physics phenomena by our new simulation technology.
Multi-Physics Computational Science Simulation for “Micromachine and Electronics Field”
For creating super-precision and super-miniaturized micromachine/MEMS and high-performance and high-speed electronic devices in next-generation, super-precision fabrication, nano-processing, and down-sizing become the most important subjects. For that purpose, the electronic- and atomic-scale understanding of the plasma etching, chemical mechanical polishing, lithography, chemical vapor deposition, cleaning processes etc. is strongly required. However, the traditional simulation methodology cannot investigate the complicated multi-physics phenomena including chemical reaction, impact, stress, friction, fluid, photon, heat etc. in super-precision fabrication and nano-processing of micromachine/MEMS and electronic devices and then the theoretical investigation on the above multi-physics phenomena has not been performed at all in the world.
Therefore, Kubo laboratory aims to establish the multi-physics computational science simulation technology for pioneering the macro-scale system, process, and material design based on the electronic- and atomic-scale understanding of the multi-physics phenomena in “Micromachine and Electronics” Field. For that purpose, we integrate a wide variety of simulation technologies from first-principles molecular dynamics to continuum mechanics. Moreover, we realize the breakthrough for the high-accuracy and high-speed system, process, and material design for creating super-precision and super-miniaturized micromachine/MEMS and high-performance and high-speed electronics device on the basis of the clarification of the multi-physics phenomena in super-precision fabrication and nano-processing of micromachine, MEMS, and electronics devices.
Multi-Physics Computational Science Simulation for “Power Plant Field”
In order to realize the safe and secure society and to maintain the persistent energy supply, the accident free and successive safety operation are strongly required in various power plants all over the world. Recent many accidents of the destruction and crack formation such as stress corrosion cracking and hydrogen induced cracking on power plants request us to clarify the multi-physics phenomena including chemical reaction, stress, fluid, heat etc. on electronic- and atomic-scale in addition to the mechanical destruction and degradation on macro-scale. However, traditional macro-scale simulation such as continuum mechanics cannot investigate the multi-physics phenomena on electronic- and atomic-scale and then the theoretical investigation on the stress corrosion cracking and hydrogen induced cracking has not been performed at all in the world.
Therefore, Kubo laboratory aims to establish the multi-physics computational science simulation technology for pioneering macro-scale system, process, and material design based on the electronic- and atomic-scale understanding of the multi-physics phenomena in “Power Plant” Field. For that purpose, we integrate a wide variety of simulation technologies from first-principles molecular dynamics to continuum mechanics. Furthermore, we aim to realize the breakthrough for the high-accuracy and high-speed system, process, and material design for realizing safe and secure society and for realizing persistent energy supply on the basis of the clarification of the multi-physics phenomena in various power plants.