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Achieving a Sustainable Society
Solving social issues through the products
：Comfortable living

Products

Polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC)
Caustic soda
Silicon wafers/ Magnet
Silicone
Electrophysiological Dry Electrodes /High-Stretchable Wiring Material
Cellulose derivatives

Health and wellbeing
Shin-Etsu Group’s materials that contribute to healthy and secure living

Many of our products contribute to the realization of a healthy and secure living society in which all people actively participate in society. We will continue to play a role as a material manufacturer for a sustainable world by developing, manufacturing, and offering products that meet the needs of society.

Materials that contribute to healthy and secure living

Polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC)

PVC window frames can reduce the amount of heat lost through the windows compared to aluminum windows.

Caustic soda

It is used as a raw material for superabsorbent polymers, which is essential as a water absorbent in paper diapers.

Silicon wafers/ Magnet

It is used in automatic braking of automobiles and contributes to accident prevention.

It is used as a motor for various medical equipment such as nursing care support robots, electric wheelchairs, CT, MRI and other inspection equipment, and supports people's health.

Silicone

It is used as a material for various medical supplies and contributes to the maintenance of people's health.

It is used as a material for various nursing care products and daily necessities, and supports people's comfortable lives.

Silicone oil that realizes technology for a skin surface that mosquitoes dislike

Mosquitoes are said to have killed more people than any other creature on earth. Many people face life-threatening danger from the infectious diseases that mosquitoes carry as vectors. Kao Corporation used Shin-Etsu Chemical's silicone oil to develop a mosquito repellent that can be used safely, and it launched this product in Thailand.
Silicone oil has many advantageous characteristics, such as (1) an extensive track record as a raw ingredient in cosmetics; (2) low surface tension; and (3) a wide range of viscosities. Utilizing silicone oil with all these advantages in a repellent has enabled a skin surface that mosquitoes dislike. This repellent has a different approach from conventional products; it prevents mosquitoes from stabilizing their posture to feed, and so they fly away without biting. Going forward, we will develop products and technologies to help solve issues faced by our customers and society.

Technology for a skin surface that makes mosquitoes fly away immediately

Video of technology for a skin surface that makes mosquitoes fly away immediately

Electrophysiological Dry Electrodes /High-Stretchable Wiring Material

Shin-Etsu Chemical’s newly developed innovative materials are being used for this wearable “health patch.” (The black-colored parts are the electrophysiological dry electrodes and the gold-colored lines connecting them are the high-stretchable wiring.)

As the awareness of the need for better health management and the necessity for home medical treatments are rising, the opportunities to measure a person’s electrical bio signals by means of these advanced wearable devices* are increasing.
Particularly, in the case of the use of smart “health patches,” because people wear them directly on their skin for more than 24 hours while the device is obtaining bio signal data, a degree of stress is created because it can become uncomfortable for the wearer. Moreover, when the measurement period takes a long time, perhaps extending to one week, it is possible that the process of obtaining of the bio signal data could become unstable.
By using our company’s Electrophysiological Dry Electrodes and High-Stretchable Wiring Material, a wearable device’s function, fit and ease-of-use is dramatically improved. This makes it possible to offer a higher quality of life to users who wear the devices.

By offering materials that contribute to the advancement of wearable devices*, Shin-Etsu Chemical is working together with its customers to reduce the anxiety level of people who are dealing with health concerns and to make medical care more efficient, and we will endeavor to contribute to the realization of a society where people can enjoy healthier and longer lives.

*Wearable devices Devices enable remote measurement and transmission of a person’s electrical bio signals, including such vital signs as heart rate and electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform, while a person is wearing the device on their body.

◆Electrophysiological Dry Electrodes

We developed the materials for electrophysiological dry electrodes to get bio signal data for a wearable device. The health patch that uses the electrophysiological dry electrodes that make possible the acquiring of stable bio signal data, even when a person is continuously wearing the device extending for a week. The electrode based on silicone is superior in biocompatibility, and its characteristics are as follows:

①Better Wearing Feel:Shin-Etsu’s silicone material adapts itself to the skin and makes it very unlikely for the skin to become irritated, and at the same time, by making the thickness about as thin as a human hair, it becomes soft and flexible to the extent that you do not feel that you are wearing the device.

②Signal acquiring performance: By optimizing the silicone’s adhesiveness, the electrophysiological dry electrodes will allow the device to track and follow the movement of the wearer and realize the acquiring of stable electrocardiogram signals.

③Water repellent property: Because of the silicone’s original water repellent property, while wearing the device, taking a bath is made possible, which was not possible when using an existing gel-type electrode.

◆High-Stretchable Wiring Material

This is a material for wiring to transmit the acquired bio signal data to the signal processing device. For the wiring of the health patch, stretchability that follows the movement of the wearer is required. Even after repeated stretchability testing, it maintained conductivity, and this is the most appropriate health patch material that has the needed strength to endure long hours of wearing.

Cellulose derivatives

It is used as a binding agent and texture improver for alternative meats and supports a healthy diet.

It is used in supplement tablets to maintain and improve health and in additives for the treatment of adult diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension.

Binder for plant-based meat alternatives "Metolose MCE-100TS"

Meat alternatives made from protein-rich soybeans and peas have come into practical use. It is attracting attention of not only for people who are vegan and health conscious and actively eating vegetable foods, but also as a food that contributes to solving food shortages and environmental problems due to population growth.
The Company has developed “Metolose MCE 100TS”, which is one of the products of cellulose derivatives, with a view of using it as a binder for plant based meat alternatives. This makes it possible to create a similar texture to real meat, which cannot be achieved with soy or other raw materials alone.
Our binder has already been adopted by a major hamburger chain. The global market for plant-based meat is expected to grow at a double-digit rate annually, and further market expansion is expected.

Interview with the staff in charge in the Metolose MCE-100TS

1.Please tell us about your job.
Mr. KH and Ms. CA: We are in charge of the domestic sales of cellulose products in the food field. We also handle cellulose used in the fields of construction materials, ceramics, cosmetics, and chemical industry.
Mr. HH: I am in charge of the overseas sales of cellulose for food applications, including sales for SE Tylose, a subsidiary that produces and sells cellulose derivatives in Germany.

Mr. HH

2. Please tell us what inspired you to develop Metolose MCE-100TS.
Mr.HH: We received inquiries from overseas customers about product functionality, and our technical sales representatives and laboratory personnel collaborated and developed this product.
An aqueous solution of Metolose will turn into gel when heated to a certain temperature, and revert back to solution when cooled. We thought that if we could lower the temperature at which the gel turns into solution and maintain its gelatinous state at room temperature, we might be able to expand its use in food as a substitute for egg whites, which is used as a binder.

3. Were there any difficulties or anything that you put extra effort into in developing Metolose MCE-100TS?
Mr. KH: Europe and North America have taken the lead in the technology for plant-based meat. In order to spread plant-based meat in Japan, it is necessary to provide foods that Japanese people like, which suits the dietary habits of Japanese people.We are working to create a new Japanese food culture, so even food manufacturers are still groping to develop such products.
We need to solve various problems, in order to propose a new product like Metolose MCE-100TS to such food manufacturers. We had a hard time to reach the quality that our customers demanded, because we had to take into consideration various factors: the food must taste good; we must be adjust a production line to fit for it, and the food must be sold at a fair market price.

Mr. KH

It was a new product development, so there were times when customers were cautious about taking the plunge. We work with our customers to find out how they can utilize their existing equipment without making major improvements in order to commercialize the products.
Mr.HH: In overseas markets, we have explained our products features to each customer to make them understand. Starting with the functional evaluation of the product at the customer's research laboratory, we carry out prototyping, actual equipment testing, and stability evaluation in sequence, so we need to work closely with customers. At each stage of evaluation, we need to provide observations and technical advice as appropriate to meet the quality requirements of the customer.

4. What did you think of the actual taste of the plant-based meat added with Metolose MCE-100TS?
Ms. CA: It was very delicious. I think it is good that it has low calories compaired to real meat, so it is healthy. With such a remarkable improvement in quality, I see a great potential for future demand for plant-based meat. This product can satisfy the various preferences of consumers because its texture and flavor vary greatly depending on the ingredients used and how they are formulated.

Ms. CA

5. Please let us know if there is anything else you would like to add to promote the product.
Mr.HH, Mr.KH, Ms.CA: Metolose is a material that makes it possible to do what was previously considered impossible in the food industry. We will continue to strive to expand sales worldwide, with the catchphrase "a material that makes your wish come true."