NEC develops non-edible-plant-based bioplastic featuring the elegance of traditional Japanese lacquerware

Tokyo, August 17,
2016 – NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701), in
collaboration with the Kyoto Institute of Technology and a representative
Japanese lacquerware artist, Dr. Yutaro Shimode, announced today the
development of a bioplastic using resin (cellulose resin*1) from grasses, trees
and other non-edible plant resources that features the highly regarded “Urushi
black” color of Japanese traditional lacquerware*2.

In order to create the
new cellulose-based bioplastic, NEC developed a unique technology for mixing
additives to adjust coloration and light reflectance of the material, enabling,
for the first time, the realization of optical properties (low brightness, high
glossiness, etc.) similar to the deep and shiny “Urushi black” color of
high-grade Japanese lacquerware. The new plastic balances a high level of
environmental friendliness and decorativeness and makes it possible to mass
produce products of various shapes and patterns using the usual molding process
for ordinary plastics.

“In response to the
depletion of resources and food shortage problems, the need for
non-edible-plant-based plastics is increasing. In addition to NEC’s history in
the development of a unique cellulose-based plastic (NeCycle(R)*3) using
non-edible plant materials for use in durable electronic products, we have now
developed a new bioplastic that, in addition to high functionality, realizes
the decorativeness of Japanese lacquerware, which is highly evaluated
throughout the world, and illustrates a beauty well beyond what petroleum-based
plastics can provide,” said Dr. Masatoshi Iji, Research Fellow, IoT Devices
Research Laboratories NEC Corporation.

This development was
carried out in collaboration with the Kyoto Institute of Technology’s
Future-Applied Conventional Technology Centre, which is known for its
outstanding achievements in future-applied conventional technology research
(scientific analysis of traditional crafts and their applications in advanced
material science), and Dr. Yutaro Shimode*4, a prominent Japanese lacquerware
artist.

The development process
involved, first, the fabrication by Dr. Shimode of a Japanese lacquerware
“Urushi craft” model (transparent resin plate repeatedly coated with Japanese
lacquer and polished by hand) that served as the standard for the advanced optical
properties exhibited by high-quality Japanese lacquerware. Scientific analysis
was performed on Japanese lacquerware at the Kyoto Institute of Technology.
Based on the results, NEC then developed an optimized technology for modifying
and mixing of the additives.

Going forward, NEC will
pursue business partnerships aimed at commercializing the new bioplastic in
durable products and high-grade materials that require a high level of
decorativeness, such as the interior components of luxury cars.

Key features of the
“Urushi black” bioplastic

1. Use of non-edible plant materials that are readily available
as the main ingredient

The new bioplastic uses cellulose resin produced from cellulose
that is widely available from non-edible plant resources, such as grasses, the
stalks of cereal crops and wood, and has the potential to be used as a
substitute for petroleum.

2. Realizes the advanced optical properties (Urushi black) of
high-grade Japanese lacquerware

Black coloring agents and highly refractive organic ingredients
were mixed with the above cellulose resin as special additives to adjust the
resin’s coloration and light reflectance properties. By dispersing the
additives into fine particles, NEC became the first to achieve the advanced
optical properties exhibited by high-grade Japanese lacquerware. The new
bioplastic was able to exhibit the deep and shiny “Urushi black” color
characteristic of Japanese lacquerware, at a quality similar to the high-grade
“Urushi craft” model fabricated by Dr. Yutaro Shimode, a leading lacquerware
artist in Japan

3. The new bioplastic can be mass-produced into products of
various shapes using the molding process for ordinary plastics

Conventionally, lacquerware is produced by coating the surface
of substrates with lacquer and polishing them. For this newly developed
bioplastic, the materials can be heated, melted, and injected into molds
(mirror-finishing) to form shapes (injection molding), as with ordinary
plastics. This makes it possible to mass-produce the bioplastic into products
of various shapes and patterns.

NEC is scheduled to
present this technology at the 24th Material Processing Technical Conference
(M&P 2016) to be held at Waseda University in Tokyo from November 25 to 26,
2016.

***

Notes:

*1 Cellulose resin: Resin made using cellulose that is the main
ingredient of the stems of cereal crops and wood, and is not suitable for human
consumption.

*2 Lacquerware: Conventionally, Japanese lacquerware is made by
substrate processing of the surface of wood products, manual coating with
lacquer (a mixture of natural lacquer substance and coloring agents), and
letting the lacquer harden, followed by repeated polishing of the product.
Since manufacturing involves a tedious process, mass production as an
industrial product has not been possible.

*3 NeCycle(R): Brand name of bioplastic material developed
mainly by NEC.

*4 Japanese lacquerware artist, Dr. Yutaro Shimode: a
third-generation president of Shimode makie-studio who is a leading lacquerware
artist in Japan. He is a professor at the Faculty of Cultural Studies of Kyoto
Sangyo University. His recent international engagements include being invited by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to hold lectures and exhibits at
famous museums in Europe.

(Ministry
of Foreign Affairs website:

http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/files/000158375.pdf)