Opening up New Frontiers in Power Conservation with Materials Innovation

The JSR Group creates a wide range of energy-saving products by leveraging its proprietary material technologies.
Of these products, this section introduces lithium-ion capacitors and explains what “Materials Innovation” they will bring about.

Lithium-ion capacitors
—the key technology for more efficient energy use

Lithium-ion capacitors, which the JSR Group positions as one of its strategic businesses in the JSR20i6 mid-term business plan, are an electricity storage device capable of instant charging and discharging together with a long life span and little propensity for selfdischarge. They are currently at the center of global attention as a key technology for the more efficient use of energy and their market is expected to expand significantly. JM Energy Corporation is the industry’s leading company, which commenced high volume production of lithium-ion capacitors for the first time in the world at the end of 2008. The company’s present aim is to develop and offer lithium-ion capacitors with higher performance by utilizing the JSR Group’s material and precision processing technologies to expand their applications in various fields.

Lithium-ion capacitor ULTIMO^TM series available from JM Energy

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What is a lithium-ion capacitor?

ULTIMO^TM series enhance efficiency and convenience in
the use of energy

1. Energy regeneration

ULTIMO^TM capacitors are installed in power shovels and other construction machinery to collect and store energy generated during swing braking, and discharge it to the swing motor for swing acceleration. In Europe, the lithium-ion capacitors were tested in hybrid buses in the fiscal year ending March 2014, and are now installed in them.

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2. Long-time voltage compensation

ULTIMO^TM capacitors are used in voltage compensation systems for server rooms, production facilities, and other critical locations. In the event of a voltage dip or an instantaneous power failure, electricity stored in the capacitors is used to compensate for lost voltage over a few seconds or minutes until emergency power generators or other backup systems are activated. The capacitors are free from lead and other heavy metals and therefore have advantages such as low environmental impact and long service life.

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3. Compact and lightweight

ULTIMO^TM capacitors are used in panels of wireless portable X-ray systems available from Konica Minolta, Inc. This use marked the first time that the capacitors had been employed by the medical equipment industry. The X-ray systems are lightweight and easy to carry while achieving the high level of safety required of medical equipment. Charging is quick and the systems have high durability, suffering from little deterioration even after repeated charging and discharging.

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4. Maintenance free

ULTIMO^TM capacitors equipped in solarpowered delineators that assist drivers to recognize medians and junctions on expressways store electricity generated by photovoltaic cells, making electric supply from external sources unnecessary. Due to their long service life, the delineators can be installed even in places where maintenance is difficult, and electricity can be charged efficiently through photovoltaic cells regardless of weather conditions due to their low internal resistance.

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As a leading company that produces lithium-ion capacitors, we are expanding their possibilities

Hidenori Takagi
R&D Officer
JM Energy Corporation

Lithium-ion capacitors are a new device handled by only a few companies in the world. We began high volume production of lithium-ion capacitors ahead of everyone else, and this has led us to gain great trust from customers and to take the initiative in their international standardization.
Our challenge is to make it possible for lithium-ion capacitors to be used in various situations for efficient use of energy, but technological difficulty rises as the level of voltage and mobility required increases. We have already succeeded in commercializing this technology for buses, construction machinery, and other applications, and are currently working to further enhance its capabilities and expand the product’s use to cover a wider range of applications, including in automobiles.
We will continue to take on new challenges by combining the JSR Group’s innovative materials and JM Energy’s proprietary technologies so that we can contribute to society through “Materials Innovation.”

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Our innovative energy conservation products

CALGRIP^TM—Expanding the application to heat storage for building shells*¹

CALGRIP^TM, a latent thermal storage material that stores energy released or absorbed during solid to liquid or other phase changes, is expanding its application to heat storage for building shells. The product was used in nextgeneration energy-saving model houses developed by the University of Tokyo and Chiba University exhibited at the “ENEX2014/Smart Energy Japan 2014” exhibition held at Tokyo Big Sight. In the University of Tokyo’s model house, CALGRIP^TM was installed in the ceilings and floors, storing solar radiation heat during the daytime and discharging it during the night to maintain a comfortable room temperature, even in the winter. CALGRIP^TM contributes to reducing energy consumption by minimizing the use of air conditioners/heaters.
*1: Building shells: Ceiling, floors, walls, and other major structures

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The University of Tokyo’s next-generation energy-saving model house (CALGRIP^TM was used in the ceiling and floor.)

CALGRIP^TM being installed on the ceiling

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SIFCLEAR^TM—A material for high-performance paints

Paints based on SIFCLEAR^TM, a fluorine water-based emulsion with high weather and contamination resistance, last for a long time after their application, thereby lowering the frequency of repainting activities. Being water-based, SIFCLEAR^TM is also effective in reducing the level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)*2. The high resistance to contamination is advantageous not only in terms of aesthetic effects but also in terms of ensuring long-term functionality of thermal insulation paints. When applied to tanks, for example, the frequency of water spraying needed to cool the tanks in summer can be reduced, and dirty marks often left on the surface of the tanks after water spraying can be prevented. In Japan, applications of SIFCLEAR^TM-based paints have been increasing, including to outer walls of residences, outer walls and roofs of factories, and oil/gas stockpiling facilities, and it is expected that the value of SIFCLEAR^TM will be recognized soon in overseas markets as well.
*2: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a major cause of air pollution.

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Main administration building of the Yokkaichi Plant. The black parts of the wall have been coated by a SIFCLEAR^TM-based paint.

Butadiene tanks in the Kashima Plant. The right tank is coated by a SIFCLEAR^TM-based paint.

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