RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science Emergent Soft System Research Team
Team Director: Takao Someya (Ph.D.)
Research Summary

Electronics is expected to support the foundation of highly develop ICT such as Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics. In addition to improve the computing speed and storage capacity, it is required to minimize negative impact of machines on environment and simultaneously to realize the harmony between human and machines. We make full use of the novel soft electronic materials such as novel organic semiconductors in order to fabricate emergent thin-film devices and, subsequently, to realize emergent soft systems that exhibit super-high efficiency and harmonization with humans. The new soft systems have excellent features such as lightweight and large area, which are complimentary to inorganic semiconductors, are expected to open up new eco-friendly applications.
Main Research Fields
- Engineering
Related Research Fields
- Chemistry
Keywords
- Organic electronics
- Flexible electronics
Selected Publications
- 1.
Sun, L., Wang, J., Matsui, H., Lee, S., Wang, W., Guo, S., Chen, H., Fang, K., Ito, Y., Inoue, D., Hashizume, D., Mori, K., Takakuwa, M., Lee, S., Zhou, Y., Yokota, T., Fukuda, K., and Someya, T.:
"All-solution-processed ultraflexible wearable sensor enabled with universal trilayer structure for organic optoelectronic devices"
Sci. Adv.10, eadk9460 (2024). - 2.
Xiong, S., Fukuda. K., Nakano, K., Lee, S., Sumi, Y., Takakuwa, M., Inoue, D., Hashizume, D., Du, B., Yokota, T., Zhou, Y., Tajima, K., and Someya, T.:
"Waterproof and ultraflexible organic photovoltaics with improved interface adhesion"
Nat.Commun. 15, 681 (2024). - 3.
Jiang, Z., Chen, N., Yi, Z., Zhong, J., Zhang, F., Ji, S., Liao R., Wang, Y., Li, H., Liu, Z., Wang, Y., Yokota, T., Liu, X., Fukuda, K., Chen, X., and Someya, T.:
"A 1.3-micrometre-thick elastic conductor for seamless on-skin and implantable sensors"
Nat. Electron., 5, 784-793 (2022). - 4.
Kakei, Y., Katayama, S., Lee, S., Takakuwa, M., Furusawa, K., Umezu, S., Sato, H., Fukuda, K., and Someya, T.:
"Integration of body-mounted ultrasoft organic solar cell on cyborg insects with intact mobility"
npj Flex. Electron., 6, 78 (2022). - 5.
Liu, R., Zhong, L. W., Fukuda, K., and Someya, T.:
"Flexible self-charging power sources"
Nat. Rev. Mater., 7, 870-886 (2022). - 6.
Takakuwa, M., Fukuda, K., Yokota, T., Inoue, D., Hashizume, D., Umezu, S., and Someya, T.:
"Direct gold bonding for flexible integrated electronics"
Sci. Adv., 7, eabl6228 (2021). - 7.
Fukuda, K., Yu, K., and Someya, T.:
"The Future of Flexible Organic Solar Cells"
Adv. Energy Mater., 10, 2000765 (2020). - 8.
Lee, S., Sasaki, D., Kim, D., Mori, M., Yokota, T., Lee, H., Park, S., Fukuda, K., Sekino, M., Matsuura, K., Shimizu, T., and Someya, T.:
"Ultrasoft electronics to monitor dynamically pulsing cardiomyocytes"
Nat. Nanotechnol., 14, 156-160 (2019). - 9.
Park, S., Heo, S., Lee, W., Inoue, D., Jiang, Z., Yu, K., Jinno, H., Hashizume, D., Sekino, M., Yokota, T., Fukuda, K., Tajima, K., and Someya, T.:
"Self-powered ultra-flexible electronics via nano-grating-patterned organic photovoltaics"
Nature, 561, 516-521 (2018). - 10.
Xu, X., Fukuda, K., Karki, A., Park, S., Kimura, H., Jinno, H., Watanabe, N., Yamamoto, S., Shimomura, S., Kitazawa, D., Yokota, T., Umezu, S., Nguyen, T, and Someya, T.:
"Thermally stable, highly efficient, ultraflexible organic photovoltaics"
PNAS, 115, 4589-4594 (2018).
Recent Research Results
Mar. 27, 2024
A solar cell you can bend and soak in waterSep. 27, 2018
A self-powered heart monitor taped to the skinDec. 22, 2017
Washable solar cellsSep. 19, 2017
A solar cell you can put in the washSep. 15, 2017
Innovative electronics feels like a second skinNov. 1, 2013
Self-healing hydrogels ease into production
Related Links
Lab Members
Principal investigator
- Takao Someya
- Team Director
Core members
- Kenjiro Fukuda
- Senior Research Scientist
- Sunghoon Lee
- Research Scientist
- Sixing Xiong
- Postdoctoral Researcher
- Ruiqi Guo
- Postdoctoral Researcher
- Shin Young Lee
- Senior Technical Staff
- Shuxu Wang
- Visiting Researcher
- Masahito Takakuwa
- Visiting Scientist
- Younguk Cho
- Visiting Scientist
- Shumpei Katayama
- Junior Research Associate
Contact Information
W405 Cooperation Center,
2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama
351-0198, Japan
Email: takao.someya [at] riken.jp