The Chemical Society of Japan Award for 2025

Award winner

SHIBATA Norio (Life Science and Applied Chemistry Group)

Award-winning research

Development of molecular conversion technology that leads the recycling of fluorine resources

Related Website of the winner

Shibata Lab.

Related Website

Winners of The Chemical Society of Japan Award for 2025

Outline

Fluorine is an essential element that supports the foundations of modern society, from pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals to electronic materials and even resins such as fluoroplastics. The strength of the carbon-fluorine (C-F) bond, which stems from its high electronegativity and thermodynamic stability, has contributed greatly to the development of high-performance functional materials. However, this high chemical stability has created new problems, such as the difficulty of decomposition and accumulation in the environment, which have become apparent as serious environmental risks.

In recent years, regulations on PFAS, a class of organic fluorinated compounds, have been strengthened, and international agreements are being reached to phase out hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), which have a high global warming potential. As a result, it has become an urgent task to establish innovative technologies that can recycle and circulate fluorine resources through "molecular conversion," rather than simply disposing of them.

Professor SHIBATA Norio and his research group have built their foundation on the precision synthesis research of organic fluorine compounds, but have also gone far beyond this framework to pioneer new research fields based on a reverse approach of "cleavage," "conversion," and "decomposition." In particular, they have attempted to achieve fundamental control  of C-F bonds, addressing the unexplored challenge of converting fluorine from a "functional element" to a "recyclable resource," and have established a new academic framework known as " circular molecular conversion technology."

In recognition of these achievements, Professor SHIBATA Norio was awarded the 78th Chemical Society of Japan Award.