Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd. (TYO:3863) is moving forward with plans to commercialize resins reinforced with cellulose nanofiber (CNF) for automotive applications. The firm has invested a total of 300 million yen ($2.67 million) in a demonstration facility that recently went into operation in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture. The facility has the capacity to produce more...
Innovation
NIMS and University of Tokyo Discover That Power-Generating Bacteria Ferments During Electric Production
A research team from the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and the University of Tokyo recently discovered that for power-generating bacteria, which are being studied as a microbial fuel cell technology, both fermentation and respiration occur during power generation. Working with this procedure of fermentative respiration, the team showed the mechanism through which higher...
Hitachi Chemical Develops World’s First Resin Injection Foam-Molding Technology for Automotive Exterior Parts
Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4217) has developed the world’s first resin injection foam-molding technology for automotive exterior parts. The technology enables the production of attractive, lightweight material that maintains the rigidity of conventional exterior resin parts. A number of Japanese automakers have already decided to use the technology for their new models. Hitachi Chemical was...
Toyota-Led Group Gets Under Way on Low-Carbon Hydrogen Project
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203), the Kanagawa Prefectural Government and seven other entities have joined forces to start full-scale operations on a low-carbon hydrogen demonstration project. The group will produce low-carbon hydrogen by electrolyzing water with wind power in the Keihin Coastal Area. The group has also established a storage and compression system for the hydrogen....
JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Drastically Improves Dielectric Loss Tangent in New LCP
JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corp. has developed a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) that has a low dielectric loss tangent. The company was able to reduce the product’s loss tangent by an order of magnitude while maintaining a dielectric constant at the level of low dielectric grades. Targeting applications such as connectors and flexible printed...
Open Innovation Picks Up Steam on Hunt for New Ideas – Part 2
The Japanese chemical industry is now also working to actively accelerate open innovation. Development has begun on Materials Open Platform (MOP), a basic research infrastructure that aims for innovative material development through four major diversified chemical manufacturers and the National Institute for Materials Science. Until now, many companies have conducted basic research either by themselves...
DSM to Expand Personalized Nutrition Business in Japan
Royal DSM is creating a new model for its customized nutrition business operations in Japan. DSM aims to build a personalized nutrition business that assists consumers in health management through nutrition adapted to their individual health status. To that end, it is building a multifaceted array of relationships with universities, local governments, game companies and...
Open Innovation Picks Up Steam on Hunt for New Ideas – Part 1
As companies strive to find new ideas, many are moving toward the open innovation model. In addition to M&A activities and investing in connections with academia or venture businesses, such efforts to aid their own development have so far been most common in the West. Online portals have been established specifically to allow for open...
Asahi Kasei Improves Yield, Reduces Byproducts in MMA Catalytic Conversion
Asahi Kasei Corp. (TYO:3407) has developed new catalysts that produce methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomers. The company is close to introducing the catalysts at its facilities in the city of Kawasaki. Asahi Kasei has changed the catalysts in the first and second stages to significantly boost yield compared to conventional techniques. The addition of the new...
Mitsui Chemicals Prepares for Global Launch of Dental 3D Printer
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) this month will begin global sales of a dental 3D printer. The new printer is capable of accurately producing dental technician materials at speeds six times higher than that of methods up to now. Mainly focusing on dental laboratories in the U.S. and Europe, Mitsui Chemicals is aiming initially to sell...
Ueno Fine Chemicals Releases Alloy-Grade LCP With Lower Melting Point
Ueno Fine Chemicals Industry Ltd. has released a new alloy-grade liquid crystal polymer (LCP) onto the market. The firm’s success in lowering the melting point to 220 degrees Celsius without affecting physical properties means that the new LCP can be alloyed with commodity plastics. Used as an additive, this gives resins the barrier properties and...
Teijin Targets Automotive Sector With New Heat-Resistant Polycarbonate Alloy
Teijin Ltd. (TYO:3401) has developed an automotive polycarbonate (PC)/polyester resin alloy with heightened rigidity and heat resistance. By adjusting the molecular weight of the resin and the amount of inorganic filler loading, Teijin was able to increase the heat resistance limit by about 10 degrees Celsius while also increasing rigidity. The new plastic also features...
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Accelerates Launch of New Aromatic Chemicals
Preparations are under way inside Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc. (TYO:4182) to launch new aromatic chemical products. In April, the company formed new teams to facilitate problem-solving at its plants and divisions. The teams working on each side will fast-track testing and client relations with the goal of commercializing heat-resistant, transparent polyimides (PI) for flexible...
Riken, Yokohama City University Find Ethanol to Improve Salinity Tolerance of Plants
A team of researchers from Yokohama City University and Riken, the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, have found that ethanol can be used to improve the salinity tolerance of plants. The discovery is expected to allow cheap, easily obtainable ethanol to be used in increasing crop yield from irrigated agricultural land. Approximately 20 percent...
Kangde Xin Establishes CFRP Research Base in Germany
Kangde Xin Composite Material Group Co. Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer of optical film for displays, recently established a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) R&D center in Bavaria, Germany. The aim of the center will be to reduce vehicular weight through the use of CFRP, and Kangde Xin hopes that this collaboration between China and Germany...
Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry to Roll Out PVA for Hot-Melt Formulas
Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. (TYO:4201) will roll out polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a base material for hot-melt formulas. When the company used PVA as a matrix polymer, it raised the dissolution rate of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) by around 50 percent compared to pills produced via traditional processes. As the saturation of low-molecular-weight...
Kyoto University Succeeds in Generating 1kW of Energy With Ammonia Fuel Cells
Kyoto University has successfully generated 1 kilowatt of electricity with fuel cells using ammonia directly as a fuel. By supplying ammonia directly to the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack, Kyoto University has achieved a similar level of power output as more generalized SOFCs. The suitability of ammonia as an SOFC fuel serves to demonstrate...
Nexco West Japan and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Develop Non-Ferrous Material for Expressway Bridges
West Nippon Expressway Co. Ltd., commonly known as Nexco West Japan, and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. Ltd. (TYO:1821) recently developed Dura-Slab, an ultra high-strength slab made of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) rods and high-strength fiber-reinforced concrete. The product is designed for use in expressway bridges. Conventional slabs use rebar and prestressed concrete (PC) steel, which results...
Nippon Steel & Sumikin Materials Accelerates Marketing for Stainless Steel Foil
Nippon Steel & Sumikin Materials Co. Ltd. (NSMAT) is intensifying its push in stainless steel foil for lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiB). Stainless steel laminated film is half as thick as its aluminum counterpart, currently the most common material for LiB packaging. NSMAT’s stainless steel laminated film is almost ready for mass production for several products,...
Toray Engineering to Develop Carbon Fiber Molding Material for 3D Printing
Toray Engineering Co. Ltd. has announced that it will be pursuing the development of carbon fiber molding material for 3D printers with Japanese research institute Riken. The two entities will work to develop a carbon fiber paste material that features all the characteristics of carbon fiber, such as high strength, without shape limitations. The partners...
