The 12th SPRUC Young Scientist Award

12th SPRUC Young Science Award (YSA) is given to a young scientist who is recognized as having established a notable achievement in the development of a new experimental technique or a new method for data analysis, or having achieved remarkable results in the studied field by making use of the characteristic features of SPring-8/SACLA.

Award winner	Dr. Shunsuke Kitou / the University of Tokyo
Research subject	Direct observation of electron orbitals using high-energy X-ray diffraction
Citation for the award	Dr. Shunsuke Kitou has developed a unique electron density analysis method using the core differential Fourier synthesis (CDFS) technique. By applying this method to the analysis of experimental diffraction data-set utilizing short-wavelength, high-brightness X-ray synchrotron radiation at around 40 keV generated from SPring-8, he successfully visualized the distribution of valence electron density with sub-angstrom spatial resolution. While electron density analysis using X-ray diffraction has been extensively attempted in the past, Dr. Kitou's new method stands out from others as it allows extracting valence electron density without assuming a model. Using this technique, Dr. Kitou achieved significant research results, including visualizing bonding/anti-bonding orbitals in molecular crystals and d/f electron orbitals in transition metal and rare earth oxide materials. Thus, Dr. Kitou's method has evolved X-ray diffraction, a crystal structure determination method widely recognized and utilized for determining atomic positions and periodicity, into a technique for visualizing electron orbitals that govern material properties in real space. Its significance lies in its potential for far-reaching implications in various fields. These accomplishments, maximally utilizing the high brightness and high-energy characteristics of SPring-8, represent an essential tool in condensed matter physics research, with promising prospects for further development in the future. Therefore, Dr. Shunsuke Kitou deserves the 12th SPRUC Young Scientist Award.

Award winner	Dr. Ken-ichi Otake / Kyoto University
Research subject	In-situ Investigation of Dynamic Properties of Flexible Porous Coordination Polymer
Citation for the award	PCP (Porous Coordination Polymer) is a porous material formed by coordination bonding of metal ions and organic bridging ligands. Unlike old-type porous materials such as activated carbon and zeolite, PCP is a crystalline functional material that can add new functions such as selective adsorption and catalysis. Furthermore, it has a flexible framework where the pore window of the PCP changes or opens and closes, depending on the external stimulus such as gas adsorptions. The PCP, called as flexible PCP, is expected for industrial applications as an intelligent adsorption separation material.But the open -close mechanism of the PCP is unknown. Dr. Ken-ichi Otake used the single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction beamlines of SPring-8 to perform in situ dynamic structural analysis and revealed that the open-close mechanism of the pore window upon gas adsorption is due to the multiple stabile structures with the different combination of π-π interactions between the framework and functional groups. Using this principle, he also developed a high-purity acetylene storage PCP material, a PCP-based H2O/D2O separation material, and a PCP thin-film chemoresistor sensor with high selectivity. These research achievements have opened the new horizon of PCP science using synchrotron radiation. In conclusion Dr. Ken-ichi Otake deserves the 12th SPRUC Young Scientist Award.