Analysis

Our analysis technology consists of three technical field.

• “Analytical Chemistry” to clarify composition (elemental and chemical structures), distribution, and morphology with high sensitivity and precision
• “Physical Chemistry” to visualize functional sites and detect higher-order structures in materials, medicines, and devices
• Prediction of functions of materials／medicine／devices and design capability based on “theoretical calculation” technology

The thickness of the coated film of high-functional material products developed by our precision coating technology ranges from several tens of nanometers to several micrometers, so even the smallest foreign particles of 10 micrometers or less can affect the performance if mixed in. For this reason, we have established technologies to sample and analyze very small areas and to analyze products in their original form. We make full use of various techniques, and the figure below is an example.

In inkjet printing, it is important to control the size of ink droplets (dots) ejected onto paper. We have developed an on-site visualization technology using a combination of a high-speed camera, zoom lens, and illumination to capture the instantaneous phenomenon of dot formation. The information and findings obtained are being used to improve the image quality of inkjet printing.

The surface properties of the liquid-based materials, such as inks, continuously change as they dry. We have developed a novel technique to detect the mechanical properties of the liquid surface. By measuring the profile of the liquid top face at which a pointy needle comes into contact, the elastic modulus and viscosity in the vicinity of the air/liquid interface are obtained. Our method also enables to capture the dynamic change of surface properties during the drying process, which can be used to improve the image quality of printed materials and the performance of electronic and optical materials.

We perform large-scale calculations using not only our in-house cluster calculators but also external resources such as Fugaku (peta-scale supercomputer in Riken). In the example below, we used Fugaku to perform first-principles calculations on the Li conduction that occurs at the interface between the electrode active material and the solid electrolyte in an all-solid-state battery, and clarified the cause of the high resistance when the electrolyte is a sulfide. High-precision simulations are useful for such phenomena that are difficult to measure.