JSR Receives High Praise from NEDO's “Pioneering Research Program for Materials Innovation”

Tokyo, Japan – Dec 19, 2024 - JSR Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, CEO and President: Eric Johnson; hereinafter referred to as "JSR") is pleased to announce that our collaborative project with Nara Institute of Science and Technology and Keio University, titled "Establishing Smart Scalable Chemistry through Data-Driven Science," has received the highest praise from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (hereinafter referred to as "NEDO").

This project was selected in 2022 as one of the pioneering research themes under NEDO’s "Pioneering Research Program for Materials Innovation" and is one of the three themes that concluded in 2024.

The project was highly praised for developing innovative methods that combine the advantages of flow and batch processes and for significantly reducing solvent usage through Bayesian optimization. By optimizing flow polymerization processes using AI and informatics and combining them with precision batch polymerization, it established a high-value, small-volume, and rapid supply system for functional chemicals. Additionally, the project overcame the limitations of traditional batch processes by developing a variable reaction vessel capable of producing up to 10 liters per day. The utility and importance of the feature database constructed and made public during the research phase were also acknowledged, culminating in an overall rating of "compliant with evaluation criteria, highly excellent."

NEDO's end-term evaluation confirmed the research outcomes and development efforts within the pioneering research themes. Additionally, it examined the progress of ongoing projects and the effectiveness of their management during the implementation period. JSR will continue to strive to apply the technologies developed through this project across various fields, driving innovation across multiple industries.

References:

1. NEDO Leading Research Program for Innovative Material and Bio Technology（　2022年度採択テーマ, in Japanese only）

2. Composition Regulation by Flow Copolymerization of Methyl Methacrylate and Glycidyl Methacrylate with Free Radical Method, Mater. Eng. 2023, 308, 2200626, https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202200626.

3. Chemometrics Approach Based on Wavelet Transforms for the Estimation of Monomer Concentrations from FTIR Spectra, ACS Omega 2023, 8, 19781−19788, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c01515.

4. Multiple comonomer concentrations prediction from FTIR spectra with quantum chemistry-based interpretation, MRS Communications 2024, 14, 439–444. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-024-00568-x.

5. Bayesian optimization of radical polymerization reactions in a flow synthesis system, Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods, 2024, 4, https://doi.org/10.1080/27660400.2024.2425178.

6. CopDDB: a descriptor database for copolymers and its application to the machine learning,Digital Discovery, In press, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4DD00266K.