Major Research Areas：Polymer chemistry, catalyst chemistry
Doctor：Minoru Terano 　Toshiaki Taniike
TERANO Laboratory
Development of Next-generation Highly Functional Polyolefin Materials
　Research activity
　
Polyolefin materials such as polypropylene and polyethylene are used in a wide range of fields, and their annual production volume exceeds 6.5 million tons in Japan and 70 million tons worldwide. Since polyolefin consists of carbon and hydrogen only.no hazardous elements, it is in high demand as an alternative to polyvinyl chloride, which produces environmental pollutants such as dioxin and environmental hormones. The transition metal catalyst most commonly used for the synthesis of polyolefin is the Ziegler catalyst. The polymerization mechanism of this catalyst, however, has not been clarified and the primary structure of its polymer has yet to be controlled. Our laboratory investigates various olefin polymerization catalysts from an academic viewpoint, and aims to produce next-generation highly functional polyolefin materials based on the results obtained.

1）Clarification of the response mechanism in the initial stage of olefin polymerization
The response mechanism in the first stage of olefin polymerization has not been sufficiently clarified in spite of its definite significance in olefin polymerization. We investigate the mechanism with a kinetic approach involving the stopped-flow method and through analysis of the microstructure of the synthesized polymers. In particular, we developed a system for the temporal analysis of products, with a capacity for temporal resolution of the sub-millisecond order. We are using the system for the analysis of catalyst responses; it enables us to understand the response mechanism of catalysts that form active spots on a time scale of less than 10 milliseconds.

2）Observation of catalyst surfaces and development of new functional catalysts
We observe the morphology of the surface compositions of heterogeneous olefin polymerization catalysts and identify the surface structures by means of spectroscopy to find active spots in polymerization. In addition, we develop catalysts based on a concept that is totally different from that for the development of conventional industrial catalysts.

3）Development of polyolefin nanocomposite material
We investigate nanocomposite materials of polyolefin containing dispersed nanoparticles for the purpose of expanding the properties of polyolefin materials. We conduct fundamental research on material properties in order to set guidelines for the design of nanocomposite materials, and based on our findings, we develop highly functional polyolefin nanocomposites by functionalizing nanoparticle surfaces.

4）Investigation of stability and deterioration mechanisms in polyolefin
Since polypropylene is susceptible to deterioration, it requires higher stability from the viewpoints of long use, recycling and reuse. We investigate the mechanism according to which the polymers start to deteriorate, and methods for stabilizing them by controlling their primary structure.
■Equipment
Catalyst preparation equipment, Stopped-flow method polymerization system, 500MHz NMR, 400 MHz Solid NMR, 300MHz NMR, Temperature-raising elution fractionation device (TREF), High-temperature GPC, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS), infrared spectroscope, (FTIR), temperatureprogrammed desorption spectrum device (TPD), atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), wide-angle X-ray diffractometer (WAXD), small-angle X-ray scattering device (SAXS)
　
Voice We aim to develop next-generation highly functional polyolefin materials through interdisciplinary research involving catalyst chemistry, surface science, polymer chemistry and physics, and nano science. Our research includes the design of new catalysts through fundamental study of olefin polymerization catalysts, control of the primary structure of polyolefin, and control of the structure of polyolefin of the nano-order.
　
■Keywords
■Contact
 transition metal catalyst, polyolefin, nanocomposite
Minoru Terano／E-mail：terano@jaist.ac.jp　TEL：+81-761-51-1620　FAX：+81-761-51-1625
URL：http://www.jaist.ac.jp/ms/labs/bunrikinou/terano-www/
　
The main research achievements in the past five years
1: K. Asuka, B. Liu, M. Terano, and K. Nitta, Homogeneously Dispersed Polypropylene/SiO2 Nanocomposites with Unprecedented Transparency, Macromolecular Rapid Communications. 27, 910(2006).
2: W. Xia, B. Liu, Y. Fang, K. Hasebe, and M. Terano, Unique Polymerization Kinetics Obtained from Simultaneous Interaction of Phillips Cr(VI)Ox/SiO2 Catalyst with Al-Alkyl Cocatalyst and Ethylene Monomer, Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical. 256, 301(2006).
3: Y. Fang, W. Xia, M. He, B. Liu, K. Hasebe, and M. Terano, Novel SiO2-Supported Chromium Catalyst Bearing New Organo-Siloxane Ligand for Ethylene Polymerization, Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical. 247, 240(2006).
4: N. Manabe, Y. Yokota, H. Nakatani, S. Suzuki, B. Liu, and M. Terano, Local Thermal Degradation Behavior of Heterophasic Polypropylene Copolymers, Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 100, 1831(2006).
5: Q. Wang, Y. Lin, Z. Zhang, B. Liu, and M. Terano, High Temperature Polymerization of Propylene Catalyzed by MgCl2-Supported Ziegler-Natta Catalysts with Various Cocatalysts, Journal of Applied Polymer Science.100, 1978(2006).