Kitami Industrial Technology Center

Magnesium-based batteries are potential candidates for next-generation rechargeable batteries due to the divalent nature of magnesium cations and the natural abundance of magnesium resources. In this study, the electrochemical activity of Mg-6mass%Al-3mass%Ca anodes combined with Sn was investigated. Thin ribbons of the anode specimens were prepared by a single-roll rapid solidification method. The results showed that the electrochemical activity increased upon adding 1 mass% Sn, while it decreased for 3 mass% Sn. Based on the results of an X-ray diffraction analysis, the addition of Sn led to the formation of Mg2Sn and Ca2Sn phases, which increased the lattice distortion. Scanning electron microscopy observations indicated that these secondary phases were homogeneously distributed for 1 mass% Sn addition, while they were coarsely distributed for 3 mass% Sn.

With the recent digitization, electronic equipment housings are required to be thin-walled and have rigidity, heat dissipation, corrosion resistance, and electromagnetic shielding properties. Magnesium alloys are promising materials that satisfy these requirements. Mg-Al alloys have good castability and high strength, but their thermal conductivity decreases. In general, adding alloying elements to magnesium decreases thermal conductivity the effect of aluminum addition is significant. It was found that adding calcium to Mg-Al alloys to form Mg-Al-Ca (AX) alloys results in higher thermal conductivity than that of Mg-Al alloys. However, AX alloys have poor corrosion resistance and require post-treatment such as surface treatment. In this study, AX64, which has high thermal conductivity among the AX series alloys, was used as the basic composition, and corrosion resistance was improved by adding manganese and misch metal, and an attempt was made to improve corrosion resistance and emissivity through surface treatment. The change in thermal conductivity by heat treatment was also investigated. Experimental results showed that the addition of manganese and misch metal improved corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity. Plasma anodization also improved corrosion resistance and emissivity. Heat treatment of these alloys at 400°C improved the thermal conductivity with longer holding time.

In the food and other manufacturing industries, where the introduction of robots is expected to be promoted, hygienic and stable grasping technology is essential because of the need to handle goods with diverse characteristics. However, for companies, the high market cost of robot hands that meet the requirements is one of the factors restraining their introduction. In order to solve the problem of hygiene by using disposable robot hand, we devised an inexpensive disposable robot hand made of paper, verified the relationship between materials, structure, and grasping force, and studied the primary modeling of the force transmission mechanism of the robot hand in order to reduce the size and increase the grasping force.

開発した改良カップによる水蒸気透過度測定法を用いて，9 種類の接着剤について温度25 ～ 85 ℃，相対湿度90％条件における水蒸気透過度を測定した。三酢酸セルロースフィルムに接着剤試料を塗布した積層膜を試験片とし，カップ法で測定した積層試験片の測定値から接着剤単独の水蒸気透過度を推算した。60 ℃および85 ℃の高温測定条件では圧力調整機構を組み込んだ改良カップを使用し，測定中のカップ内圧力変動に伴う試験片の損傷を回避した。85 ℃で測定した接着剤の水蒸気透過度は，25 ℃の場合と比べて10 ～ 85 倍，40℃の場合と比べて5 ～ 20 倍と，常温域とは全く異なった。また，シリコーン系およびウレタン系の接着剤は，全測定温度域において，エポキシ系接着剤の9 ～ 80 倍の水蒸気透過度を示した。

The new solar tracking system technology using MH (La0.55Ce0.44Ni4.61Co0.73Mn0.1) actuator of the solar-heat drive is proposed. A hydrogen storage capacity is found in the relation between the temperature of MH, and the equilibrium pressure of hydrogen. Therefore, if the heat transfer amount to the MH is controllable, a hydrogen storage capacity can be taken.Hydrogen is enclosed in the same two MH reactors in which MH is contained and the solar panel tracks the angle of direction due to the difference in hydrogen pressure in these MH reactors. The hydrogen pressure of each MH reactors and the pressure difference required for driving the actuator are investigated with the 3D-CAD thermal fluid solver. Also, investigating the effect of wind condition analysis on MH and assumed the location of Sapporo in April (middle season), August (summer) and December (winter). As a result, the minimum driving pressure difference could be obtained at any time of each month. However, it was also considered, that the actuator might be driven inversely depending on the condition and cooling effect of the wind.

The purpose of this study is to improve the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP) using polycarbonate (PC) for a matrix resin. To achieve this purpose, we investigated the molding conditions of CFRTP and the surface modification method for the carbon fiber fabric (CFF) and PC sheet. Results of the examination of molding conditions, when the press pressure in the molding increased from 2 MPa to 10 MPa, flexural strength of CFRTP increased 50% compared with the original value. This reason would be due to the both things, namely increase of volume fraction (45%→57%) and decrease of void content (5.8%→3.4%) of CFRTP. In order to improve the adhesion between CFF and PC sheet, ozone oxidation treatment was adopted. This treatment was carried out for both CFF and PC sheet. In comparison with the untreated one, it was found that flexural strength and tensile strength increased 31% and 14%, respectively.

Improving a particular function of molecules is often more difficult than identifying such molecules ab initio. Here, a method to acquire higher affinity and/or more functional peptides was developed as a progressive library selection method. The primary library selection products were utilized to build a secondary library composed of blocks of 4 amino acids, of which selection led to peptides with increased activity. These peptides were further converted to randomly generate paired peptides. Cathepsin E-inhibitors thus obtained exhibited the highest activities and affinities (pM order). This was also the case with cathepsin E-activating peptides, proving the methodological effectiveness. The primary, secondary, and tertiary library selections can be regarded as module-finding, module-shuffling, and module-pairing, respectively, which resembles the progression of the natural evolution of proteins. The mode of peptide binding to their target proteins is discussed in analogy to antibodies and epitopes of an antigen.

We developed a wireless mediator-type biosensor system to rapidly monitor blood glucose concentrations in free-swimming fish. Glucose oxidase was used to determine the glucose concentration, but fluctuations in the oxygen concentrations in the samples affected the measurements. In this work, we used a mediator, a synthetic electron acceptor, as a substitute in the oxidation–reduction reaction, thus ensuring that changes in the concentration of oxygen do not affect the measurements of glucose concentration performed by the sensor. We especially focused on the use of ferrocene as a mediator. The resulting enzyme sensor utilized a Pt–Ir wire (diameter 0.178 mm) as the working electrode and Ag/AgCl paste as the reference electrode. Chitosan was used to fix ferrocene and glucose oxidase to the working electrode. The characteristics of the sensor were tested, and it was found to be capable of measuring glucose independent of the oxygen concentration of the sample. Its reproducibility was also tested, and the results showed that the sensor was suitable for performing measurements in vivo. The sensor was then inserted into to eyeball interstitial sclera fluid in order to wirelessly monitor the glucose concentration in free-swimming fish. Measurements were taken for a total of 48 h. During these measurements, artificial stress was applied to the fish. The glucose concentrations of fish rise with their stress levels. The output current from the sensor gradually increased during the application of stress, which hinted that the stress was monitored by this system.

In a magnetic field, an electrochemical reaction generates a macroscopic solution flow called MHD flow by the Lorentz force, which enhances mass transfer in the diffusion layer (MHD effect). In electroplating, the MHD effect comes from two-dimensional (2D) nucleation in an electrical double layer accompanied by the unstable growth of non-equilibrium fluctuations (called asymmetrical fluctuations). Electroplating under a magnetic field provides the other magnetic field effect called the micro-MHD effect, which emerges with micro-MHD flow and symmetrical non-equilibrium fluctuations in a diffusion layer, and suppresses three-dimensional (3D) nucleation. That is to say, the MHD effect acts as a positive catalyst, whereas the micro-MHD effect is employed as a negative catalyst, or inhibitor. Furthermore, owing to the strong penetration of the magnetic field into the materials, micro-MHD flows are effectively induced even in the inside of a complicated minute structure. Therefore, by controlling the magnetic field, we can expect high quality plating in the through-hole plating. In this paper, along with its application to through-hole plating, copper magneto-electroplating is examined from various aspects.