Institute for Materials Research

Institute for Materials Research (金属材料研究所), abbreviated IMR or Kinken (金研), is a research institute for materials science in the Tohoku University, Japan. It consistently ranks as one of the top in ISI citations on materials research. In 2001, it ranked first in the field of materials science by ISI, Philadelphia.

Outline
The institute is the oldest of the five research institutes of Tohoku University. It was started 90 years ago by the late Professor Kotaro Honda for research on KS steel. In 1987, it was reorganized into its present form, a national collaborative research institute, and designated as a Center of Excellence (COE) for materials science.

IMR's research field is diverse materials as well as metals. Some of its recent creations include new types of materials, including high-performance, high-quality and multifunctional materials such as amorphous alloys with complex structures, and bulk metallic glasses developed from them. The institute also specialises in multicomponent intermetallic compounds, quasicrystals, oxides, ceramics, nanostructural controlled metals, semiconductors, crystals for solar cells, biomaterials, organic materials, hydrogen storage alloys, and shaped crystals, among others.

Former names
The present name of the institute is the Institute for Materials Research (IMR).


 * April 1, 1916: the 2nd Division of the Provisional Institute of Physical and Chemical Research(東北帝国大学理科大学臨時理化学研究所第2部)
 * May 21, 1919: the Iron and Steel Research Institute (ISRI)(東北帝国大学附属鉄鋼研究所)
 * August 8, 1922: the Research Institute for Iron, Steel and Other Metals (RIISOM)(東北帝国大学金属材料研究所, 東北大学金属材料研究所1947)
 * May 21, 1987: Institute for Materials Research (IMR)

Research results

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Researchers

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The institute has produced many world-famous researchers. Akihisa Inoue, the 18th president of Tohoku University, is well-known for his work on bulk metallic glasses. The Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) has named him as one of the most cited researchers in materials science and engineering, with just two of his publications being the 2nd and 8th most highly-cited in the field. Inoue was awarded the 2006 Prime Minister's Prize for this research, and the 2009 James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials from the American Physical Society.

Facilities and laboratories

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Address
1-1-2-chome, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 JAPAN