Toyota Auto Body Co. Ltd. is working on auto parts applications for plant-based materials, focusing here on its plant fiber-reinforced resin, noise-absorbing material and cellulose nanofiber. Developed in 2013, the...
R&D
Cataler Develops New Anode Material for Automotive LiBs
Cataler Corp., a leading Japanese manufacturer of purification catalysts for automotive exhaust gas, has developed a new anode material that contributes to improving the output of automotive lithium-ion batteries (LiBs)....
Rengo Develops New Cellulose Nanofiber
Rengo Co. Ltd. (TYO:3941) has developed its own cellulose nanofiber (CNF). This takes the form of a xanthate-based CNF made by fibrillating cellulose xanthate, which is an intermediate product of...
Mitsubishi Chemical Goes on Front Foot in Medical Materials
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. is embarking on a charge in medical materials. In the area of medical compounds, Mitsubishi Chemical has developed a novel cyclic block copoylmer (CBC). Given that cyclo-olefin...
Kracie, NOF Team up to Develop Amino Acid-Based Surfactant for Shampoo
Kracie Home Products Ltd. has teamed up with chemical manufacturer NOF Corp. (TYO:4403) to jointly develop HEA, a new amino acid-based surfactant from sodium lauroyl hydroxyethyl beta-alaninate for use as...
Eisai Eyes AI for Drug Discovery
Eisai Co. Ltd. (TYO:4523) is increasingly tapping into AI for its drug discovery research. This past June, the company began using an AI system developed in partnership with the University...
NHK Spring Develops Technology to More Effectively Weld Aluminum, Ultrahigh-Tensile Materials
NHK Spring Co. Ltd. (TYO:5991) has developed a new proprietary technology in the form of clamping spot welding, making it possible now to get an ultrahigh-tensile compound with aluminum. Clamping...
Kyocera Ramps up Solar Product Development for Self-Consumption
Kyocera Corp. (TYO:6971) is accelerating its photovoltaics (PV)-related product development in anticipation of an era of self-consumption. With 2019 ending a period of high purchase prices for residential-produced solar energy,...
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Launches MI Center to Boost Materials Development
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (TYO:4188) recently announced the launch of what it is calling the Center of Excellence (CoE), representing a new initiative to boost the company’s R&D operations by...
Toray Develops Blood-Purifying Fiber Adsorbent With Application in Preventing Respiratory Failure
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) has developed a fiber adsorbent for purifying blood, able to selectively eliminate activated leukocyte cells and cytokine proteins that lead to respiratory failure. It is a...
Japan’s ImPACT Program Brings World Closer to Realization of Next-Gen Cars
Materials innovation is moving ever closer to bringing about the next generation of automobiles. Working under Impulsing Paradigm Change through Disruptive Technologies (ImPACT), an R&D program from Japan’s Cabinet Office,...
i-Compology Sets out to Market All-Biomass Compound Materials
Materials venture company i-Compology Corp. is accelerating its development of compound materials made with 100 percent biomass-produced elements. The company has strengths in developing injection-moldable wood–plastic composite (i-WPC) materials with...
Daiichi Sankyo Sees Pillar of Growth in Next-Gen Biopharmaceuticals
Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. (TYO:4568) is making antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and other next-generation biopharmaceuticals a pillar for medium- and long-term growth. The Japanese pharmaceutical company has initiated phase 2...
Japanese Government to Encourage Digital Technologies in Resource Development
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is working to support the introduction of digital technologies for exploiting resources such as petroleum and natural gas. The ministry will set...
Nippon Paint Holdings Tests New System of Corporate R&D With Development of Suction Adhesives
Nippon Paint Holdings Co. Ltd. (TYO:4612) is speeding up its horizontal development for new coating technologies. With a focus on its corporate R&D headquarters, the company intends to introduce a...
Interview: Dow Chemical COO Jim Fitterling Talks Plans for Growth Ahead of Becoming Dow CEO
The first quarter of 2019 will see DowDuPont Inc.’s Materials Science Division separate off into an independent business to be called Dow. The Chemical Daily recently sat down to hear...
Saticine Medical Successfully Extracts Oil-Soluble Polyphenol From Sweet Potato
Saticine Medical Co. Ltd. recently succeeded in extracting an oil-soluble polyphenol from sweet potato. The company has verified the polyphenol to be a low-molecular-weight, oil-soluble material with excellent bioavailability and...
All Signs Point to CNF Making Way Into Auto Parts
The subject of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) development for use in vehicles has shifted from materials to the downstream end of the equation. Prototype development and evaluations are being accelerated by...
Interview: Mitsubishi Gas Chemical President Toshikiyo Kurai Talks Strategy Through 2020
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc. (TYO:4182) is riding on the back of solid business performance as it starts out on its new medium-term management plan. President Toshikiyo Kurai recently took...
DowDuPont Works on Developing 100% Bio-Based Polyamide
DowDuPont Inc. is working on the development of a 100 percent bio-polyamide. Offering performance on par with the outstanding heat resistance and strength of polyamide 610, this new product is...
