Abstract: A functional membrane is provided, which has high functionality combined with the gas barrier performance and mechanical strength inherent in a polymer film substrate. In particular, a polymer electrolyte membrane is provided, which is excellent in terms of high proton conductivity and gas barrier performance and is most appropriate to serve as a polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cells. A method for producing a functional membrane is provided, which comprises: a step of ion irradiation, in which active species are generated in a polymer film substrate containing nonconductive inorganic particles by irradiating the polymer film substrate with high-energy heavy ions to the extent of 104/cm2 to 1014/cm2; and a step of graft polymerization subsequent to the step of ion irradiation, in which one or more monomers selected from group A consisting of monomers containing useful functional groups are added such that the monomers are graft polymerized with the polymer film substrate.

Abstract: A crosslinked nano-inorganic particle/polymer electrolyte membrane composed of a polymer film substrate, graft molecular chains bound to the backbone skeleton of the polymer film substrate and comprising a vinyl monomer graft-polymerized, sulfonic groups bound to the graft molecular chains, and an inorganic material as nano-scale particles uniformly dispersed within a crosslinked structure ascribed to the backbone skeleton of the polymer film substrate and the graft molecular chains, wherein the backbone skeleton of the polymer film substrate, the graft molecular chains, and the nano-inorganic particles mutually construct a crosslinked structure.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel ionic liquid gel electrolyte having high photoelectric conversion efficiency. Also disclosed are a novel dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device using such an ionic liquid gel electrolyte, and a solar cell composed of such a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device. Specifically disclosed is an ionic liquid gel electrolyte obtained by gelling a liquid electrolyte by using an ionic organic oligomer gelling agent represented by the general formulae (1) and (2) below. Also specifically disclosed are a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device, wherein the ionic liquid gel electrolyte is arranged between a counter electrode and a dye-absorbed semiconductor substrate which is arranged in contact with a transparent conductive substrate, and a solar cell.

Abstract: By performing photograft polymerization of functional monomers such that grafted chains will be introduced from the surface of a polymer base film into its interior without deteriorating its inherent characteristics and also by creating a multiplex crosslinked structure between the grafted chains and the base film under such conditions as to cause preferential radiation-induced crosslinking reaction, there is produced a polymer electrolyte membrane having high enough oxidation resistance and proton conductivity to be suitable for use in fuel cells.

Abstract: Disclosed are a novel ionic organic compound and a method for producing the ionic organic compound by a simple process. Also disclosed are a hydrogelling agent composed of an ionic organic compound obtained by the method, an alcohol gelling agent, a gel which uses the gelling agent, while using water or methanol as a medium, and a carbon nanotube dispersant composed of the compound. Specifically disclosed is an ionic organic compound represented by general formula (1). The compound is obtained by a condensation reaction of (A) an aromatic diamide compound or cyclohexane diamide compound having a 4-(chloromethyl)benzamide group at both ends, and (B) a compound selected from N,N,N?,N?-tetramethylalkylenediamines which may have a substituent wherein there are 1-6 carbon atoms between nitrogen atoms. The thus-obtained ionic organic compound serves as a gelling agent which is capable of gelling a neutral aqueous solution or an alcohol.

Abstract: A method for producing a polymer electrolyte membrane for electrolyte fuel cells includes: irradiating gamma rays onto a polymer substrate to obtain a crosslinked polytetrafluoroetylene substrate, grafting a styrenic monomer and bis(vinylphenyl)ethane as monomers to the crosslinked polymer substrate, and introducing sulfonic acid groups into graft side chains formed by grafting. Fluoro polymer substrates such as polytetrafluoroethylene and ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer may be used.

Abstract: An ionic organic compound having a repeating unit of formula (I) can be synthesized easily from a readily available organic compound through a small number of reaction steps, can be produced without any purification technique such as chromatography, and can be used in a quite small amount for gelation of water or an ionic liquid without any other auxiliary solvent: [-(A-B-C)n-]•m(X)??(I) wherein A represents a group having a quaternary ammonium cation which is formed from a heterocyclic compound having at least one nitrogen atom; B represents a functional group, which may have a substituent, selected from amide, urea, urethane and peptide groups; C represents a divalent hydrocarbon group, which may have a substituent, capable of linking between A and B; X represents an anion; n represents the number of repeating units; m represents the total number of anions; and n and m are the same integer.

Abstract: A ceramic honeycomb structure having a large number of flow paths partitioned by porous cell walls, the cell walls comprising at least main crystals of aluminum titanate, in which MgO and SiO2 are dissolved to form a solid solution, and glass phases, the glass phases containing 40-80% by mass of SiO2 and 1-20% by mass of MgO, the average size of the glass phases being 30 ?m or less in a cross section of the cell walls, and the area ratio of the glass phases to the total area of the main crystals of aluminum titanate and the glass phases being 2-12% in a cross section of the cell walls, and its production method.

Abstract: Polymer ion-exchange membranes having outstanding electrical conductivity, water retention and oxidation resistance are produced by the steps of uniformly mixing an organic high-molecular weight resin with functional inorganics having the abilities to promote graft polymerization of polymerizable monomers, adsorb water and conduct protons, irradiating the resulting functional inorganics/polymer membrane to initiate graft polymerization or graft copolymerization of polymerizable monomers having functional groups, and then introducing sulfonic acid groups into the graft chains.

Abstract: The objective of the invention is to solve the problems of conventional polymer electrolyte membranes, including small ion-exchange capacity and low oxidation and methanol resistance. A polymer film substrate is irradiated with ?-rays, electron beams or other radiations to perform multi-graft polymerization with functional monomers and then the polymer film substrate containing the grafted molecular chains or the graft molecular chains into which sulfonic acid groups have been introduced is crosslinked by irradiation to produce a polymer electrolyte membrane that has outstanding oxidation resistance, dimensional stability, electrical conductivity and methanol resistance and which can be controlled in ion-exchange capacity over a wide range.

Abstract: A honeycomb structure having a crystal phase composed of aluminum titanate and mullite, which is obtained by sintering a honeycomb molding made of a mixture comprising titania powder, alumina powder, silica powder and mullite powder, the mixture containing 1-10 parts by mass of silica powder and 5-30 parts by mass of mullite powder per the total amount (100 parts by mass) of the titania powder and the alumina powder, and the mullite powder containing 40-60% by mass of particles having particle sizes of 10-50 ?m and 5-30% by mass of particles having particle sizes of 3 ?m or less, and its production method.

Abstract: Polymer ion-exchange membranes having outstanding electrical conductivity, water retention and oxidation resistance are produced by the steps of uniformly mixing an organic high-molecular weight resin with functional inorganics having the abilities to promote graft polymerization of polymerizable monomers, adsorb water and conduct protons, irradiating the resulting functional inorganics/polymer membrane to initiate graft polymerization or graft copolymerization of polymerizable monomers having functional groups, and then introducing sulfonic acid groups into the graft chains.

Abstract: An aromatic polymer film substrate, or a grafted aromatic polymer film substrate having a monomer introduced therein as graft chains is irradiated with ionizing radiation to impart a crosslinked structure. The aromatic polymer film substrate or the grafted aromatic polymer film substrate, provided with the crosslinked structure, is directly sulfonated to obtain a crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane. The crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane has low water uptake, high proton conductivity, low methanol permeability, high chemical stability, and excellent mechanical characteristics.

Abstract: An aromatic polymer film substrate, or a grafted aromatic polymer film substrate having a monomer introduced therein as graft chains is irradiated with ionizing radiation to impart a crosslinked structure. The aromatic polymer film substrate or the grafted aromatic polymer film substrate, provided with the crosslinked structure, is directly sulfonated to obtain a crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane. The crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane has low water uptake, high proton conductivity, low methanol permeability, high chemical stability, and excellent mechanical characteristics. A method for producing the crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane is also provided.

Abstract: In a band saw, blade drift is corrected and straight line cuffing of an object is easily performed. A cuffing auxiliary device in the band saw used to correct a shift of a cutting line when the cutting line is shifted from a straight line in the band saw for cutting a work by using a flexible steel band. The cutting auxiliary device in the band saw has a laser projector attached to a band saw main body side and projecting a laser beam so as to be overlapped with the shifted cutting line when the work is straightly cut by the flexible steel band on the working board and the cutting line is shifted from the straight line; and a working board fixing portion for fixing the working board to a receiving portion of the band saw main body side in a place which the straight line of the laser beam projected from the laser projector and a mark on the working board are aligned.

Abstract: A method for producing an aluminum-titanate-based ceramic honeycomb structure comprising blending TiO2 source powder and Al2O3 source powder with a TiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of 45/55 to 55/45, and a sintering aid and/or a molding aid to prepare a moldable material, extrusion-molding the moldable material, and drying and sintering the resultant extrudate, the TiO2 source powder having a particle size distribution (mass-based frequency distribution relative to [log(particle size)]), in which both the maximum frequency in a particle size range of 0.2-4 ?m and the maximum frequency in a particle size range of 10-100 ?m are larger than those in other ranges than the two particle size ranges.

Abstract: An object is to provide an electrolyte membrane that maintains excellent cell characteristics for a long time under high temperature and low water retention, as this is the most important point in fuel cells. A process for producing a polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cells is provided, which process comprises in sequence: forming graft molecular chains by graft-polymerization of a vinyl silane coupling agent on a polymer film substrate that has phenyl groups capable of holding sulfonic acid groups; introducing sulfonic acid groups into phenyl groups contained in the graft molecular chains; and hydrolyzing and condensing alkoxy groups contained in the graft molecular chains so that a silane crosslinked structure is introduced between the graft molecular chains. A polymer electrolyte membrane produced by the process is also provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel ionic liquid gel electrolyte having high photoelectric conversion efficiency. Also disclosed are a novel dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device using such an ionic liquid gel electrolyte, and a solar cell composed of such a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device. Specifically disclosed is an ionic liquid gel electrolyte obtained by gelling a liquid electrolyte by using an ionic organic oligomer gelling agent represented by the general formulae (1) and (2) below. Also specifically disclosed are a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device, wherein the ionic liquid gel electrolyte is arranged between a counter electrode and a dye-absorbed semiconductor substrate which is arranged in contact with a transparent conductive substrate, and a solar cell.

Abstract: To provide a parallel ruler device with which it is easy to obtain a plate material of a constant width having parallel sides. Also, to make it possible to easily carry out a precision adjustment of an amount of parallel movement of a ruler face by means of a visual observation. Also, to enable a precision adjustment of a desired dimension in both a positive direction and a negative direction with a position fixed once as a base point.

Abstract: For the purpose of making available an RF coil which makes possible a reduction in elements to be controlled in varying the size of the RF coil, there are provided an original loop unit, a conductor so connected to the original loop unit as to split the original loop unit into split loop units, a capacitor connected in series to the conductor, and switching means which makes the conductor either conductive or non-conductive, wherein the electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor is so set as not to allow the split loop units to interfere with each other when the conductor is made conductive by the switching means.