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Our division is working on the separation technologies for efficient recovery of Lithium,boron, and other elements from sea-water,which i sconsidered as a valuable resource in Japan for rare inorganic elements,and is carrying out a research on the application of recovered elements.We focus especially on the development of High-pertomance adsorbents, and of new separation pocesses involving adsorbents. We are also pursuing basic researches on the utilizations of recovered resources and adsorbents to lithium secondary batteries,catalysts,and other materials for energy or material conversion.
Our division is developing functional materials with high value using magnesium,boron,and other inorganic seawater constituents.
The researches are conducted to synthesize environment-friendly materials by using the advantages of the respective reaction media,such as molten salts,hydrothermal solutions,organic solvents,and supercritical fluids
Our division is endeavoring to develop new biodegradable materials, environmentally benign materials, and recyclable materials from the macromolecular compounds synthesized by marine organisms and others. Research on macromolecular compounds synthesized by marine microorganisms will make it possible to create biopolymers that have new molecular structures and aggregate forms. It is hoped that chemically modifying or hybridzing these natural polymers will lead to the development of materials with more new functions.
Research focuses on the dives functions expressed by marine organisms to keep themselves alive, and aims to develop methods and technologies that make it possible to find new applications and to design functins by isolating and refining functional substances,by detemining their molecular structures and functions and by elucidationg the mechanisms that express those functions.
For the development of environmentally resistant materials and other materials for marine use, our division is pursuing the development of new surface processing processes using lasers and other high-energy beams. We have focused on the temporal and spatial phenomena in plasmas (plumes) that arise through the intraction of beams and materials,and they are conductiong research on the fundamental events occurring in the processing of materials using beams.
Our division is putting its efforts into automating tasks in the ocean, and other unenhanced environments,and devising measuring and control technologies that are friendly to unskilled and elderly workers. Undersea tasks present a harsh,peculiar environment with high water pressure, murkiness,vibration of various, and other hindrances. For this reason we are researching and deneloping an undersea ultrasound imaging technology,technologies for unmanned operations, and highly reliable tasking algorithms.