Thomas, Morgan

写真a

Affiliation

Graduate School of Science and Technology (Yagami)

Position

Project Associate Professor (Non-tenured)

E-mail Address

E-mail address

Related Websites
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Career 【 Display / hide 】

  • 2002.07
    -
    2003.10

    Cognis Performance Chemicals (U.K.)

  • 2008.04
    -
    2009.04

    RWTH Aachen (Germany)

  • 2009.05
    -
    2011.12

    University of Saskatchewan, York University, McGill University (Canada, split appointments)

  • 2012.08
    -
    2014.09

    RIKEN (Japan), Byon IRU

  • 2014.10
    -
    2017.03

    Yokohama National University, Faculty of Engineering

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Academic Background 【 Display / hide 】

  • 2000.09
    -
    2004.07

    University of Bath (U.K.), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, MChem, Chemistry with Industrial Training

    United Kingdom

  • 2004.09
    -
    2008.06

    University of Nottingham (U.K.), School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, PhD Chemistry

    United Kingdom

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Research Areas 【 Display / hide 】

  • Chemistry, Green Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Electrochemical Devices, Batteries, Electrolytes, Ionic Liquids, Highly Concentrated Electrolytes, Carbon Dioxide Utilisation, Biomass

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Books 【 Display / hide 】

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Papers 【 Display / hide 】

  • Effect of cation side-chain structure on the physicochemical properties of pyrrolidinium-based electrolytes upon mixing with sodium salt

    Yoshifumi Hirotsu, Morgan L. Thomas, Yuko Takeoka, Masahiro Rikukawa, Masahiro Yoshizawa-Fujita

    Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (Taylor & Francis Ltd)  26 ( 1 ) 2466417 2025.12

    Accepted,  ISSN  1468-6996

    　View Summary

    In recent years, the development of next-generation secondary batteries employing resource-abundant metals such as Na has garnered significant attention. However, the high reactivity of Na raises safety concerns, necessitating the development of safer devices. To address this, ionic liquids (ILs) and organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) have emerged as promising novel electrolytes. Despite their potential, studies investigating the influence of cation structures on various properties remain scarce, particularly in composites where Na salts are introduced into OIPCs. This study focuses on the effects of cation species and Na-salt concentration in OIPCs, specifically in N,N-diethylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide ([C₂epyr][FSA]) and N-ethyl-N-isopropylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide ([Cᵢ₃epyr][FSA]), with the addition of sodium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide (NaFSA). The phase transition behavior, dissociation state of Na salts, and electrochemical properties exhibited significant differences based on the cationic structure of the OIPCs. The combination of each OIPC with Na salt resulted in liquid mixtures, and the ionic conductivity increased significantly as the Na salt concentration increased. High ionic conductivities were achieved with [C₂epyr][FSA]/NaFSA (20 mol%) and [Cᵢ₃epyr][FSA]/NaFSA (10 mol%), showing values of 2.7 × 10⁻³ and 2.2 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at 25 degrees C, respectively. Linear sweep voltammetry results indicated superior oxidative stability in the [Ci₃epyr][FSA] system. Solvation numbers of Na⁺, influenced by differences in cationic side-chain structures, were determined to be 2.7 for the [C₂epyr]⁺ system and 2.9 for the [Cᵢ₃epyr]⁺ system. The results suggest that controlling solvation numbers is a critical factor in the molecular design of high-performance ionic conductors.

  • A Simple Regeneration Process Using a CO₂‐Switchable‐Polarity Solvent for Cellulose Hydrogels

    Arata Matsui, Deandra Ayu Putri, Morgan L. Thomas, Yuko Takeoka, Masahiro Rikukawa, Masahiro Yoshizawa-Fujita

    ChemSusChem (Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH)  18 ( 6 ) e202401848 2024.11

    Accepted,  ISSN  1864-5631

    　View Summary

    <jats:p>Cellulose is one of the main components of plant cell walls, abundant on earth, and can be acquired at a low cost. Furthermore, there has been increasing interest in its use in environmentally friendly, carbon‐neutral, sustainable materials. It is expected that the applications of cellulose will expand with the development of a simple processing method. In this study, we dissolved cellulose in aqueous N‐butyl‐N‐methylpyrrolidinium hydroxide solution ([C4mpyr][OH]/H2O) and investigated the cellulose regeneration process based on changes in solubility upon application of CO2 gas. We investigated the effect of transformation of the anion chemical structure on cellulose solubility by flowing CO2 gas into [C4mpyr][OH]/H2O and conducted pH, FT‐IR, and 13C NMR measurements. We observed that the changes in anion structure allowed for the modulation of cellulose solubility in [C4mpyr][OH]/H2O, thus establishing a simple and safe cellulose regeneration process. This regeneration process was also applied to enable the production of cellulose hydrogels. The hydrogel formed using this method was revealed to have higher mechanical strength than an analogous hydrogel produced using the same dissolution solvent with the addition of a cross‐linker. The ability to produce cellulose‐based hydrogels of different mechanical properties is expected to expand the possible applications.</jats:p>

  • Evaluation of the Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Formation in a Bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide Based Ionic Liquid in the Presence Lithium Ion Using Different Redox Probes

    Shunosuke Momose, Morgan L. Thomas, Nobuyuki Serizawa, Yasushi Katayama

    ECS Transactions  2024.09

    Accepted

  • Efficient Exploration of Highly Conductive Pyrrolidinium-Based Ionic Plastic Crystals Using Materials Informatics

    Takuto Ootahara, Kan Hatakeyama-Sato, Morgan L. Thomas, Yuko Takeoka, Masahiro Rikukawa, Masahiro Yoshizawa-Fujita

    ACS Applied Electronic Materials (American Chemical Society (ACS))  6 ( 8 ) 5866 - 5878 2024.07

    Accepted,  ISSN  2637-6113

    　View Summary

    Organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs), which are soft crystals with plasticity and ionic conductivity, are expected to be applied as solid electrolytes in battery applications. Further improvement of ionic conductivity is necessary for practical use as an electrolyte for energy storage devices. Materials Informatics (MI) is a method of incorporating information science in materials development. In this research, MI is being used to develop OIPCs with high ionic conductivity. By using informatics science in addition to chemical knowledge, this research can be carried out efficiently and innovatively. The synthesis of eight new compounds resulted in six of them being solid at room temperature, while two of them were in a liquid state, namely, ionic liquids. We evaluated the phase transition temperatures and ionic conductivity for each compound. Notably, N-ethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium trifluoro(trifluoromethyl)borate ([C₂mpyr][CF₃BF₃]) exhibited a high ionic conductivity of 1.75 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 25 degrees C, which is one of the highest values reported among OIPCs to date. The combination of an experimental and MI based approach revealed an improved understanding of the relationship between ion size and ionic conductivity for a series of pyrrolidinium-based OIPCs, and it is expected that further improvements to this approach will yield greater understanding of structure-property relationships.

  • Boosting the Ionic Conductivity of Pyrrolidinium-Based Ionic Plastic Crystals by LLZO Fillers

    Kotoko Ariga, Shuho Akakabe, Ryotaro Sekiguchi, Morgan L. Thomas, Yuko Takeoka, Masahiro Rikukawa, Masahiro Yoshizawa-Fujita

    ACS Omega (American Chemical Society (ACS))  9 ( 20 ) 22203 - 22212 2024.05

    Accepted,  ISSN  2470-1343

    　View Summary

    Organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) have attracted attention as novel organic solid electrolyte materials, but their insufficient mechanical strength and ionic conductivity have prevented their application. In this study, a lithium salt, lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide (LiFSA), and an inorganic solid electrolyte, Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO), were added to an OIPC, N,N-diethylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide ([C₂epyr][FSA]). The fabricated organic-inorganic hybrid solid electrolytes were evaluated thermally, mechanically, and electrochemically to reveal which factors affect the properties of the electrolytes. All samples showed excellent thermal stability regardless of LiFSA or LLZO concentration, and they were found to be highly plastic and ion-conductive solids at a wide range of temperatures. It was also revealed that the addition of LLZO raised the nanoindentation stiffness (H-IT) of the [C₂epyr][FSA]/LiFSA composites. The ionic conductivity of the hybrid electrolytes was higher than that of the pristine OIPC, reaching a value of 2.1 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 25 degrees C upon addition of appropriate amounts of LiFSA and LLZO. Overall, samples with higher LiFSA concentration and moderate LLZO concentration exhibited higher ionic conductivity. Cyclic voltammetry results showed that the [C₂epyr][FSA]/LiFSA/LLZO composites were lithium-ion conductors. These findings indicate that by optimizing the concentrations of lithium salt and LLZO, it would be possible to realize their applications as solid electrolytes.

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Reviews, Commentaries, etc. 【 Display / hide 】

  • Organic ionic plastic crystals: flexible solid electrolytes for lithium secondary batteries

    Morgan L. Thomas, Kan Hatakeyama-Sato, Shinkoh Nanbu, Masahiro Yoshizawa-Fujita

    Energy Advances (Royal Society of Chemistry ({RSC}))  2 ( 6 ) 748 - 764 2023

    Lead author,  ISSN  2753-1457

    　View Summary

    <jats:p>The growing global demand for energy has led to the active development of efficient energy generation and storage technologies, driving the development of electrochemical devices such as high-energy density rechargeable...</jats:p>

  • Role of Cation Structure in CO

    Eri, Hayashi, Kei, Hashimoto, Morgan, L Thomas, Seiji, Tsuzuki, Masayoshi, Watanabe

    Membranes 9 ( 7 )  2019.05

    ISSN  2077-0375

    　View Summary

    The development of suitable separation technologies for the separation of carbon dioxide is a pressing technological requirement. The application of ion gel membranes for this purpose continues to stimulate a great deal of research, and in this study we focus on the chemical structure of the ionic liquid component in the ion gel, and its interactions with the sulfonated polyimide polymer. Whilst such membranes are known to give promising carbon dioxide separation properties together with mechanical strength and thin-film-processability, we further elaborate on how changing the cation of the ionic liquid from a typical imidazolium cation to a protic variant effects the physicochemical, thermal, and structural properties of the membranes, and how these changes further influence the carbon dioxide separation properties. We compare and contrast our findings with our earlier study on protic and aprotic ammonium-based ionic liquids, and highlight that for CO

  • From Ionic Liquids to Solvate Ionic Liquids: Challenges and Opportunities for Next Generation Battery Electrolytes

    Masayoshi Watanabe, Kaoru Dokko, Kazuhide Ueno, Morgan L. Thomas

    Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan (The Chemical Society of Japan)  91 ( 11 ) 1660 - 1682 2018.11

    Last author,  ISSN  0009-2673

    　View Summary

    Certain concentrated mixtures of lithium salt and solvent ( ligand) are no longer simple solutions, but categorized as solvate ionic liquids (SILs), where the solvent strongly coordinates to the cation to form a solvate, a negligible amount of free solvent remains, and thus the SIL consists of the solvate cation and the anion. Typical examples are mixtures of lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl) amide (Li[TFSA]) and certain glymes (CH3-O-(CH2-CH2-O)(n)-CH3) The successful formation of a SIL greatly depends on both the ligand and lithium salt structures. To obtain robust and long-lived solvates, a ligand exhibiting a chelate effect is essential and n = 3 and 4 (i.e. triglyme and tetraglyme) are suitable for the formation of lithium solvates. The Lewis basicity of the lithium salt anion also significantly affects the formation of SILs. Specifically, a weak Lewis basicity promotes the formation of a SIL, since the ligand-Li+ interaction overwhelms the Li+-anion interaction. SILs can be diluted with rather low polarity solvents to increase the ionic conductivity, where the solvate structure is maintained even after the dilution. SILs exhibit unique features as electrolytes, including the enhancement of oxidation stability of the component glymes, unique Li+ transport through ligand exchange when interfacial electrochemical reactions are occurring, the inhibition of aluminum corrosion when Al foil is used as a cathode current collector, poorly-solubilizing towards ionic electroactive materials, and electrochemical graphite intercalation reactions. These features greatly enhance the possibility for application of SILs as next generation lithium battery electrolytes. Furthermore, new polymer electrolytes containing SILs have been proposed, simultaneously enabling film-processability, high ionic conductivity, thermal stability, and a wide potential window. Preservation of the solvate structure in the polymeric phases is pivotal to such achievements.

  • Phase behaviour and thermodynamics: general discussion

    Andrew Abbott, Hiroshi Abe, Leigh Aldous, Rob Atkin, Magdalena Bendova, Matteo Busato, Jose Nuno Canongia Lopes, Margarida Costa Gomes, Benjamin Cross, Carin Dietz, Jeffrey Everts, Millicent Firestone, Ramesh Gardas, Matthieu Gras, Tamar Greaves, Simon Halstead, Christopher Hardacre, Jason Harper, John Holbrey, Johan Jacquemin, Philip Jessop, Doug MacFarlane, Florian Maier, Himani Medhi, Markus Mezger, Ailio Padua, Susan Perkin, Joshua E. S. J. Reid, Satyen Saha, John M. Slattery, Morgan L. Thomas, Shraeddha Tiwari, Seiji Tsuzuki, Betul Uralcan, Masayoshi Watanabe, James Wishart, Tristan Youngs

    FARADAY DISCUSSIONS (ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY)  206   113 - 139 2018.01

    ISSN  1359-6640

  • Electrochemistry: general discussion

    Andrew Abbott, Leigh Aldous, Natalia Borisenko, Samuel Coles, Olivier Fontaine, Jorge Daniel Gamarra Garcia, Ramesh Gardas, Oliver Hammond, Laurence J. Hardwick, Paul-Henri Haumesser, Florian Hausen, Corie Horwood, Johan Jacquemin, Robert Jones, Erlendur Jonsson, Abhishek Lahiri, Doug MacFarlane, Guy Marlair, Benjamin May, Himani Medhi, Vitor H. Paschoal, Joshua E. S. J. Reid, Theresa Schoetz, Kazuhisa Tamura, Morgan L. Thomas, Shraeddha Tiwari, Betul Uralcan, Adriaan van den Bruinhorst, Masayoshi Watanabe, James Wishart

    FARADAY DISCUSSIONS (ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY)  206   405 - 426 2018.01

    ISSN  1359-6640

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Presentations 【 Display / hide 】

  • Morphological Changes and Charge-Discharge Characteristics of Lithium in Bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide-based Ionic Liquid Electrolyte during Deposition-Dissolution Reaction

    M. Nishikawa, M.L. Thomas, N. Serizawa, Y. Katayama

    65ᵗʰ Battery Symposium in Japan (Kyoto, Japan) , 

    2024.11
    , 

    Oral presentation (general), The Electrochemical Society of Japan

  • Morphological changes for lithium deposition and subsequent dissolution in bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide-based ionic liquids and effect on cycling

    M. Nishikawa, M.L. Thomas, N. Serizawa, Y. Katayama

    11ᵗʰ Workshop on Lithium-Sulfur Batteries (Dresden, Germany) , 

    2024.11
    , 

    Oral presentation (general), Fraunhofer IWS

  • Highly Concentrated Li⁺ Electrolytes with Molecular/Polymeric Diketones and Related Moieties

    Morgan L. Thomas

    Symposium on Functional Ionic Materials and Devices, 

    2022.09
    , 

    Oral presentation (general), Plastic Crystal Research Association

  • Exploring Lithium-based Ionic Liquid and Concentrated Electrolyte Systems for Air and Sulfur Batteries

    M.L. Thomas, K. Ueno, K. Dokko, M. Watanabe

    ICACC (Daytona Beach, USA) , 

    2019.01
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    2019.02
    , 

    Oral presentation (invited, special), The American Ceramic Society

  • Enabling the Application of a Binary Solvate Ionic Liquid / CO₂ Binary Mixture as Electrolyte for Li-S Battery (oral and poster)

    Morgan L. Thomas, Yukiko Matsui, Kazuhide Ueno, Masashi Ishikawa, Kaoru Dokko, Masayoshi Watanabe

    APCIL-6 (Tottori, Japan) , 

    2018.10
    -
    2018.11
    , 

    Oral presentation (general)

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Intellectual Property Rights, etc. 【 Display / hide 】

  • 二次電池

    Date applied： 特願2017-555010   

    Patent

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Awards 【 Display / hide 】

  • Green Chemistry Writing Competition

    Morgan L. THOMAS, 2006, Crystal Faraday, U.K.

    Type of Award： Other,  Country： United Kingdom

  • Building Experience and Skill Travel Scholarship (BESTS)

    Morgan L. THOMAS, 2006, University of Nottingham, U.K.

    Type of Award： Other,  Country： United Kingdom

  • Robert Bolland Memorial Prize

    Morgan L. THOMAS, 2004, University of Bath, U.K.

    Type of Award： Other,  Country： United Kingdom

    　View Description

    Highest overall marks in Chemistry course

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Other 【 Display / hide 】

  • Safety Lectures, Autumn Semester 2022

    2022年

    　View Details

    Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University
    "High Pressure Gas Safety Seminar"
    Contents: High pressure gases.
    Translated and presented an English version (around 20 PowerPoint slides) based on the Safety Committee's original Japanese version.

  • Safety Lectures, Spring Semester 2022

    2022年

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    Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University
    "Chemical Safety Seminar", "High Pressure Gas Safety Seminar"
    Contents: Accidents, protective equipment, fires, chemical inventory management, environment, high pressure gases.
    Translated and presented an English version (around 90 PowerPoint slides) based on the Safety Committee's original Japanese version.

  • Safety Lectures, Autumn Semester 2021

    2021年

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    Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University
    "Performing experiments safely"
    Contents: Earthquakes, chemical toxicity, prevention, emergencies.
    Translated and presented an English version (around 80 PowerPoint slides, made available as a series of on-demand video recordings) based on the Safety Committee's original Japanese version.

  • Safety Lectures, Spring Semester 2021

    2021年

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    Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University
    "Safe use of chemicals"
    Contents: Accidents, protective equipment, fires, high pressure gases, chemical inventory management.
    Translated and presented an English version (around 70 PowerPoint slides, made available as a series of on-demand video recordings) based on the Safety Committee's original Japanese version.

  • Safety Lectures, Autumn Semester 2020

    2020年

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    Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University
    "Safety training on the use of organic solvents and specified chemical substances"
    Contents: Accidents, health hazards, toxicity, fires/explosions, liquid nitrogen, waste disposal, reagent inventory management.
    Translated and presented an English version (updated from 2019 version, around 80 PowerPoint slides, made available as an on-demand video recording) based on the Safety Committee's original Japanese version.

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Courses Previously Taught 【 Display / hide 】

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Social Activities 【 Display / hide 】

  • Demonstrator at RIKEN Open Day

    2013.04
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Academic Activities 【 Display / hide 】

  • External Reviewer of Doctoral Thesis (University of Valladolid)

    2019.04

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Memberships in Academic Societies 【 Display / hide 】

  • Ionic Liquids Research Association (Japan), 

    2016.11
    -
    Present

  • Society of Chemical Engineers (Japan), 

    2016.06
    -
    Present

  • The Electrochemical Society (ECS, United States), 

    2014.03
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    Present

  • Chemical Society of Japan, 

    2012.12
    -
    Present

  • Electrochemical Society of Japan, 

    2012.11
    -
    Present

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