Message from MORIMOTO as Specially Appointed Assistant Professor

As the researcher in SHOWA DENKO, I have engaged many research items and gotten several effective results in energy area. In these results, VGCF(named Endo fiber or thicker CNT) is most attractive and promising material, and development of industrial process and elucidating the application became to life work for about forty years.
In recent years VGCF is used as the additive for Lithium ion batteries(LiB) in the world scale. It's a very happy for me and I also feel the mission to leave a record of this experience.

In 1970'years many companies tried to develop PAN fibers. Mechanical properties are in the revel of acceptable but production cost is not acceptable. Endo group in Shinshu-Univ showed new technology of making new carbon fiber. Just after finding the this news we contacted with Endo group. VGCF synthesis process is primitive one and productivities are very low compared to industrial process, cost could not be estimated. My both told me price should be lower than 1000yen/kg and production scale should be higher than 1000ton/year, it was very hard targets.

Several years later Prof.Endo showed me very precious information "Ferrocene is useful for in situ making Fe particles for growth catalyst" After hearing this precious information, I reformed our equipment and tried fairly big scale experiment. In the first trial we found VGCF synthesized whose shape is same to currently used.
Though we have passed first big hurdle but next excavation of application was still harder. We sent many samples in vain. Targets of application were mainly composites. After several years later I send sample to my friend who was in same research laboratory in Kyoto Univ. and belonging to Battery maker. He found VGCF is useful to cell or battery, but cost was not acceptable compared with currently used acetylene black.

About one year later we heard big chance, mission was "in LiB area, the capacity should be double" My friend tried to use VGCF for LiB. The results are soon showed splendid one. After this epoch-making occurrence VGCF was used satisfactorily. This time I showed my experience very shortly but from next time I want to show details stepwise.

In nanotechnology Platform Project I want to supply the technology of making nano materials and finding good applications.