Research & Development

Creating new global standards with an
eye on the future and the world

Home | Business Fields | Research & Development

Research and development at NGK is based on ceramics technology, with materials development and systems technology positioned as major pillars. In the Triple E domains of energy, ecology, and electronics, NGK experts drawn from a wide range of fields pursue basic and applied research on ceramics and in other areas around the clock to develop new technologies and core products for our future business.

Creating new products

We’ve introduced various products commercialized through company-wide, cross-departmental initiatives involving the Corporate R&D, Corporate Manufacturing Engineering, Business Groups, and head office departments. These include microlenses for ultraviolet (UV) LEDs in 2018, and chip-type ceramic rechargeable battery “EnerCera” series in 2019.

Moving forward, we will press on with the development of various new product lines. The company will work as one to bring these products to market as rapidly as possible.

Zinc Rechargeable Batteries

Features

Ceramic separators made using new materials
Water-based electrolytic solution (for safety), high capacity, constant temperature operation

Examples of final use

Residential power storage systems (10 kWh class)
Indoor-type power storage systems (500 kWh class) Office buildings, hospitals, retail facilities, etc.

Sub-nano Ceramic Membranes

Overview

We have further improved on the performance with the development of Sub-nano ceramic membranes, which are able to separate specific molecules from mixed liquids or gases. These new ceramic filters make possible innovative separation processes that have the potential to save energy and reduce costs.

Gallium Nitride (GaN) Wafer

Produced by NGK’s proprietary liquid phase crystal growth method rather than the vapor phase growth method typically used in conventional GaN production, NGK’s GaN wafers exhibit low dislocation density across the entire wafer surface. These GaN wafers realize unprecedented ultra-bright laser diodes and high-efficiency power devices for use in projector light sources, inverters for electric vehicles, and other applications.

Micro-Lens for UV-LED

Ultraviolet LEDs are used in sterilizing and hardening resins. NGK Insulators has developed an extremely small lens with a reduced irradiation range that improves the LEDs’ sterilizing effect. These lenses utilize quartz glass with superior transparency and durability, allowing them to produce complex shapes that were formerly difficult to achieve.

Chip-type Ceramic Rechargeable Battery “EnerCera” Series

EnerCera is a Li-ion rechargeable battery with original Crystal Oriented Ceramic Plate as electrodes. It realizes high energy density and low internal resistance with a small and thin body and is capable of high-temperature installation.

Ceramic substrates for direct air capture systems

We are developing a honeycomb structure sorbent material for DAC that can efficiently adsorb CO₂ based on technologies for ceramic substrates for automotive catalytic converters developed for automotive exhaust gas purification. This material will significantly reduce energy consumption and costs and help achieve carbon neutrality.