National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Director-general of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Nobuyuki Tamaoki

Masaru Yoshida

Nagatoshi Koumura

Hajime Matsumoto

Hiro Matsuda

Hiroo Matsuda

Nobutsugu Minami

Koujirou Hara

Hajime Kawanami

Harumi Ohyama

Soyoung Song

Said Kazaoui

Alexander Parfenov

Fuxapei Chan

Zhong-Sheng Wang

Atsushi Masaki

Masahiro Funahashi

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&#x2032;-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. The solvent solubility can be changed by substituting the anion of the thus-obtained ionic compound with another anion by anion-exchange. (In the formula, A represents a linking moiety having one or more optionally substituted aromatic rings or a linking moiety composed of a cyclohexane ring; B represents a cationic functional group having a quaternized nitrogen atom, which is selected from N,N,N&#x2032;,N&#x2032;-tetramethylalkylenediamines which may have a substituent wherein there are 1-6 carbon atoms between nitrogen atoms; X represents a monovalent anion; and n represents an integer of 1-800.)

Ionic organic compound, production method thereof, hydrogelling agent composed of the ionic organic compound, hydrogel containing same, methanol gelling agent, methanol gel containing same, and carbon nanotube dispersant

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. 

Ionic gel electrolyte, dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device and solar cell

According to the present invention, a liquid crystal semiconductor capable of exhibiting a highly ordered smectic phase at approximately room temperature, being used for formation of a smectic liquid crystal thin film that is stable at room temperature by a solution process, and showing excellent ambipolar charge-transporting properties, a thin film transistor comprising the same, and the like are provided. Also, the following are provided: a smectic liquid crystal compound represented by the following general formula (1) wherein Rrepresents a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, Rrepresents an alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and 'n' is an integer of 0 to 3; an ambipolar charge-transporting material comprising the smectic liquid crystal compound; an organic semiconductor thin film having a thin film layer comprising the smectic liquid crystal compound; and a thin film transistor comprising the organic semiconductor thin film.

Smectic liquid crystal compound

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)-]&#x2022;m(X)&#x2003;&#x2003;(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. A hydrogel using the compound is stable under acidic conditions, capable of setting a large amount of water with a small amount thereof, and capable of quickly recovering the original elastic modulus against structural disruption caused by mechanical distortion. The hydrogel is capable of directly gelling an ionic liquid without other solvent such as water when causing gelation. Further, the hydrogel is capable of easily dispersing carbon nanotubes in water whose load on the environment is low.

Ionic organic compound

A rewritable, heat sensitive, color image recording medium having a pair of opposed substrate sheets at least one of which is transparent, and a heat sensitive layer interposed between the substrate sheets and containing a cholesteric liquid crystal compound having a molecular weight of not greater than 2,000 and a glass transition point of at least 35&deg; C. A color image is formed on the recording medium by varying imagewise the temperature of the heat sensitive layer from a first temperature to a second temperature such that the cholesteric liquid crystal compound assumes a cholesteric liquid crystal phase at at least one of the first and second temperatures. The image is fixed by rapidly cooling the recording medium to a temperature lower than the glass transition point of the cholesteric liquid crystal compound.

Rewritable, heat sensitive, color image recording medium and image recording method using same

A rewritable, color image recording medium composed of a pair of opposed substrates at least one of which is transparent, and an intermediate layer interposed between the substrates. The intermediate layer contains at least one cholesteric liquid crystal compound having a molecular weight of not greater than 2,000 and a glass transition point of at least 35.degree. C., and a photochromic compound. By irradiating the intermediate layer imagewise with the light through the transparent substrate, while maintaining the intermediate layer at such a temperature that the cholesteric liquid crystal compound assumes a cholesteric liquid crystal phase, an image is formed. The image may be fixed by rapidly cooling the recording medium to a temperature lower than the glass transition.

Rewritable, color image recording medium and image recording method

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Nobuyuki Tamaoki