Achieving Both High Gripping Power and Low Rolling Resistance Using Advanced Rubber Design Technology

SSBR is an essential raw material for the tread of fuel-efficient tires, and demand for the material is growing.
Tire tread is the only part of the tire in contact with the road, so SSBR contributes significantly to braking performance (gripping power) and fuel efficiency (rolling resistance).
To create a fuel-efficient, high-performance tire, it is necessary to achieve both high gripping power and low rolling resistance (making rolling easier), which are contradictory performance attributes. Advanced technological capabilities are also required for manufacturing.

Realization of High Adhesion and Durability through Advanced Polymerization and Particle Control Technology

TRD^® is used as the anode binder (adhesive material) for lithium-ion batteries used in applications such as EVs and smartphones. Strong growth is forecast for this product.
As higher capacity batteries are developed, the binder also needs to have better adhesion, durability, safety, and other performance characteristics. Advanced technological capabilities are required to realize these improvements as well.

Achieving Both High Durability and Recyclability Using a New Cross-Linking System

Rubber must be cross-linked for it to be used for tires as wear resistance cannot be achieved without it.
However, once the rubber is cross-linked, it is difficult to break that structure, which makes recycling difficult. For this reason, the majority of old tires are currently not undergoing material recycling, which means they are not being used as the raw materials of new products. Instead, they are undergoing thermal recycling, so they are burnt as waste and the heat from that process is collected and used.
Tire-to-tire recycling requires high-level compatibility between the physical properties of cross-linking and recyclability.
We are therefore working to develop recyclable tire materials using a new cross-linking system.

Development of New Materials Using Technology and Know-How of Olefin Reaction Control

ENB (5-ethylidene-2-norbornene) is used as the third component in EPDM rubber, which is widely used in automotive parts and has high weather and heat resistance.
The process, which uses our unique manufacturing technology, has a total annual production capacity of 62,000 tons in Japan and the U.S., giving us the number one share of the world market.
Development of ENB manufacturing technology has enabled us to cultivate olefin reaction control technology and expertise.
We have been developing new materials based on this technology, such as THI-DE and TCPD, that exhibit transparency, high reactivity, and high heat resistance, which are characteristics derived from their alicyclic structures. Going forward, we will continue to develop materials that leverage our strengths.

Development of New Thermosetting Resin by Combining In-House Technologies

We have developed a new “highly heat-resistant thermosetting resin” by combining alicyclic epoxides obtained through our proprietary organic synthetic technologies with resin compounding technology.
The developed thermosetting resin has a high glass transition temperature exceeding 250℃ and has higher heat resistance than typical cationic curing phenolic resins.
Its low viscosity also allows for a high filling rate of filler and low linear expansion coefficient over a wide temperature range in both liquid and solid composites. Leveraging its high heat resistance, low viscosity, and low thermal expansion coefficient, we expect that the resin can be widely used, with applications including molding resins (encapsulants) for semiconductors—the demand of which is predicted to grow considerably in the future for electric vehicles and other applications.

Development of New Ultra-Low Dielectric Dissipation Materials Using Unique Molecular Design Technology

Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) is a super engineering plastic with outstanding heat resistance, precision moldability, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties. Because of these properties, it is used as the raw material for various applications, including connectors for electronic circuit boards and camera modules for smartphones.
We are working to develop a range of new LCP resins, such as resins that combine heat resistance and film moldability with the world's lowest dielectric dissipation, and micro-particle resins suitable for use as fillers. These resins are expected to be used in applications like flexible circuit boards and millimeter-wave radar substrates in the full rollout of 5G (5th generation mobile communication systems) and next-generation automobiles.