R&D Topics

PEM water electrolysis cells and cell components (PTL, etc.)

Energy is increasingly being generated from renewable energy sources in an effort to create a sustainable society. However, there is a problem that the amount of energy generated is strongly affected by environmental factors such as the weather, making renewable energy an unstable energy source. This is why attention is turning to water electrolysis technologies for switching from renewable energy to clean hydrogen energy. The water electrolysis cell market is expected to grow in the future.
We have used our insoluble metal electrolysis Excerode(Japanese Only) technology to develop inexpensive coating technologies that balance conductivity and corrosion resistance in end plates, bipolar plates, and porous transport layer (PTL), which is a component used in PEM water electrolysis cells. Furthermore, through collaborative research with Group companies and outside partners, we are working to create high output, high durability PEM water electrolysis cells(Japanese Only).

Electrodes for high capacity storage batteries

Storage batteries are a means of storing energy for decarbonized societies. They are one of the key technologies to achieving carbon neutrality. In particular, the generation of power from natural energy sources, such as solar or wind power, has become more widespread, and there are high hopes for the greater introduction of high capacity storage batteries that can accommodate changes in power supply and demand. On the other hand, as cost and safety present hurdles to the widespread adoption of storage batteries, further technological innovation is required.
We believe that the electrode catalyst technologies that we have developed through the years will be essential to achieving greater high capacity battery performance and extending battery service lives. That is why we are working on the development of electrodes for high capacity storage batteries. Through our electrode technologies, we will lower lifecycle costs by improving output and durability, to contribute to the creation of a sustainable society.

Wafer polishing tape

As semiconductors become more miniaturized and multi-layered, wafer surface treatment is becoming increasingly important. The wafer polishing tape we are developing reduces the amount of chemicals that are necessary, while also helping to improve wafer quality and yield. Creating this polishing tape requires sophisticated technologies in order to uniformly apply fine abrasive grains to substrates and to control the surface of the coating film that is produced. Furthermore, by preparing the tape with the use of our own proprietary surface grain composition and formulation, we have succeeded in creating polishing tape with a high polishing speed while maintaining precision. We are continuing with our development work, seeking to achieve further performance improvements.

New ClOx compounds

We have applied our core technologies to the development of chlorine compounds and succeeded in synthesizing completely new chlorine compounds. The compounds we have developed are highly functional and safe. Therefore, they can be applied in situations that have not been possible until now, and we expect to see the discovery of new applications for them. We are currently working to establish new production methods and to explore new functionality in order to commercialize these novel compounds.

Functional Materials

We apply our core technologies to biomass-derived materials such as starch to develop new materials that offer more advanced functionality and biodegradability. We are developing and working towards the commercialization of biomass-derived materials that are optimal for bringing about a decarbonized society and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. We have also been successful in developing materials with new functionality by extracting and refining components from untapped biomass resources. We are proceeding with the commercialization of these new functional materials as products that fully leverage the materials' features.

Electrolytes

• Ionic liquids and conductive polymers: We offer a full lineup of ionic liquid products with exceptional resin compatibility and stable antistatic performance. We perform environmentally-friendly, PFAS-free, halogen-free structural design and flexibly customize our products based on their respective applications. In addition, based on our conductive polymer industrialization technologies, we are developing new technologies for processing conductive polymers, and thus we can customize them flexibly to meet individual application needs.
• Fine organic particle dispersion liquids (CCE, CCG): We develop organic dispersion liquids in which fine oxide particles are dispersed at the nano level. When added to capacitor electrolyte, it maintains its dispersion, and therefore we offer a lineup of products that realized improvements in both the voltage resistance and conductivity of capacitor electrolyte. We can customize them flexibly to meet individual application needs.

Near-infrared-ray (NIR) absorbing dye

NIR-absorbing dye is an ionic organic dye whose cation main skeleton contains a phenylenediamine skeleton. When it has two anions, it is called diimonium salt and absorbs near-infrared light with wavelengths between 900 nm and 1200 nm while having a high level of visible light transmittance. Because of these features, it is used to cut near-infrared noise in thermal shielding film for automobiles and construction materials, and also in flat display panels (FDPs). When it has one anion, it is called aminium salt and is used as a quencher (light stabilizer) for cyan pigments and the like. In recent years, we have been developing structural designs and processing technologies aiming for further increasing its visible light transmittance and heat resistance for use in image sensors (IRCFs). We also flexibly accommodate needs for processing such as pigment processing for specific usage applications.