TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES 's Challenge: Strategy for Rapid Expansion in Automobiles and Semiconductors - Part 1: The World's Top Fuel Cell Catalyst

New Catalyst with 4 Times the Durability of Electrolyte Membrane

On January 14, 2020, TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES succeeded in developing an extraordinary material for the first time in the world. This material is a hydrogen anode catalyst for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells that significantly suppresses the degradation of fuel cells, and it is an excellent material that reduces the generation of hydrogen peroxide, which causes the degradation of electrolytes in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, to less than half.
This announcement was made by TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), and Yamanashi University, and it is said that by incorporating this catalyst into fuel cells, the durability of electrolyte membranes can be increased to more than four times that of conventional ones using commercially available platinum hydrogen catalysts. Of course, behind this new development is the hope that it will contribute to the rapid spread of fuel cell vehicles.

"We are fortunate to have TANAKA provide electrode catalysts for fuel cells that hold one of the world's top market shares. We have invested 4 billion yen to add a manufacturing and shipping building and storage building with a total floor area of 3,000 m² adjacent to our existing FC Catalyst Deveropment Center within our Shonan Plant, increasing our production capacity by approximately seven times. The building is already in full operation."
These are the words of Toru Shoji, Managing Executive Officer and President of the New Business Company at TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES. Shoji graduated from Chiba Prefectural Kimitsu High School and the Department of Metallurgy at Chiba Institute of Technology before joining Tanaka TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES. The topic of his graduation thesis was "Research into improving the creep fracture resistance of aluminum alloys for aircraft." After joining the company, he was involved in the development of continuous casting technology for gold alloy fine wire, combustion catalysts, environmental purification catalysts, diesel exhaust gas purification catalyst systems, and three-way catalysts for purifying automobile exhaust gas. Shoji's motto is, "There are no answers in sales, but there are answers in technology." In other words, no matter what your boss says, there is truth in technology.

As discussions about next-generation eco-friendly vehicles are becoming more active amid the expanding SDGs worldwide, the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is also progressing at an astonishing pace. While hybrid vehicles (HVs) are currently the mainstream eco-friendly vehicle, the EV boom is only expected to grow.
However, many experts believe that the most promising candidate for next-generation eco-friendly vehicles is fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). This is because EVs ultimately rely on the generation of large amounts of electricity, and therefore cannot be considered the ultimate form of eco-friendliness. In contrast, FCVs generate electricity through the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen and use this as their power source. The only emission during driving is water, and they do not emit any CO ₂. They are referred to as having complete zero emissions.

However, the issue is cost. There is a great deal of interest in how to produce hydrogen that is both inexpensive and of good quality. Moreover, it is necessary to build a large number of hydrogen stations. In 2014, Toyota Motor Corporation announced the "MIRAI," the world's first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle, and has since made improvements. Toyota is likely to be among the leaders in the world in terms of technological advancement in fuel cell vehicles. Honda has also announced a sedan-type fuel cell vehicle. South Korea's Hyundai Motor Company has announced that it will launch fuel cell vehicles in the market all at once. Nissan has agreed to jointly develop fuel cell vehicles with Daimler and Ford, while BMW has partnered with Toyota to develop the basic systems for fuel cells.
Most importantly, China, which has been announcing the rapid spread of electric vehicles (EVs), has stated that it will also provide substantial subsidies for fuel cell vehicles. There is also a view that fuel cell vehicles are preferable for high-speed buses and trucks. In other words, there is a growing voice for promoting fuel cells worldwide. TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES has long been paying close attention to fuel cell vehicles. Of course, the fuel cell catalysts manufactured by the Company are used not only in fuel cell vehicles but also in household fuel cells, and the Company continues its efforts toward realizing a hydrogen energy society.
"In January 2019, NEDO held the FCV Issues Sharing Forum together with Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda R&D Co., Ltd. One of the issues that emerged here was the chemical decomposition and degradation of polymer electrolyte membranes in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The development of Platinum-Cobalt Alloy Hydrogen Electrode Catalyst is aimed at addressing this issue. In addition, the prototype catalyst has made it possible to synthesize Platinum-Cobalt Alloy Nanoparticle/Carbon Catalyst in varying amounts. We plan to accelerate research and development using this new catalyst" (Shouji).

FC Catalyst Production Capacity Expansion and New Site in India

At the end of 2019, TANAKA established TANAKA INDIAN PVT. LTD. in Mumbai, India, as a new base for its business strategy in the India, Middle East, and Africa region. The primary objective is to respond to the demand in the automotive catalytic, semiconductor, and hydrogen energy markets. It can be said that TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES's future activities, which have begun to create a bridge connecting Japan, China, and India in fuel cells, should not be taken off the radar.

(Special Editorial Committee Member Wataru Izumiya)

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Products/Services ＞ Electrocatalysts for Fuel Cells and Water Electrolysis (PEM Type)