Welcome to Azuma-Yamamoto Group

Transition metal oxides exhibit various useful functions such as magnetism, ferroelectricity and superconductivity. We realize new functional oxides such as ferromagnetic ferroelectrics, lead-free piezoelectrics and negative thermal expansion materials by means of state-of-art synthesis techniques like high-pressure synthesis used for diamond synthesis, thin-film fabrication on single crystalline substrates and hydrothermal synthesis.

We are also interested in low dimensional antiferromagnets where spins form special lattices such as ladder and honeycomb. Above mentioned functions are closely related to their crystal structures. We detect the tiny structural change accompanied with the occurrence of functions by using synchrotron X-ray and neutron beams. Such obtained information is applied to the design and the synthesis of further new materials.