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2022/12/15

'Nano-Fiber Changes the Industrial Structure' - An Exhibit at MEXT

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Nano-fiber 100nm Gallery at the entrance space of MEXT, next to the reception desk on the 2nd floor of the East Wing

The Exhibit presented by Shinshu University 'Nano-Fiber Changes the Industrial Structure' has been displayed at the entrance of the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, MEXT until December 23, 2022.

Nanofiber is an ultra-fine fiber with a thickness of less than 100 nanometers (nm), or about 1/500th the thickness of a hair. Compared with conventional microfiber, nanofiber has features such as high specific surface area, high porosity, lightweight, ultrafine pores, thinness and smoothness, and also has hydrophobicity and water repellency, hydrophilicity and high water absorbency, and excellent permeability; that means high functionality.

In 2008, Professor Ick Soo Kim of the Institute for Fiber Engineering, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Shinshu University succeeded in developing the Nanofiber mass production plant for the first time in the world, which has since been adopted by well-known brands in textiles, and has been widely implemented in the fields of Medical & Health, Electronics, Agriculture, Automobile and Next-generation Batteries. In 2022, his research received the Commendation for Science and Technology by MEXT in recognition of achievements in the practical development of the nanofiber face mask that contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this exhibit, the products that specialized in industry-academia collaboration in the multifaceted expansion of nanofiber research are chosen and presented as the result of the expansion in the social implementation.

Main display in Exhibit:

  • Various products made use of nanofiber, including famous brands
  • Video: Nanofiber -100nm Story
  • Introductory panel: Features of nanofiber and the expansion in the field of social implementation

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Various products made use of nanofiber are displayed in the exhibit

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Gallery viewed outside of the building

Video: Nanofiber -100nm Story (in Japanese version only)

Related SDGs

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