#27 Challenge to create a new chemical industry that is friendly to both people and the environment with our unique iron catalyst reaction control technology

I was doing research on organic synthesis at a graduate school in Korea, and at the time, many of the papers I referred to were written by Japanese researchers. So I wanted to continue my research at a higher level, so I went to study at Kyoto University. Dr. Nakamura took over as my advisor in January 2006, and we graduated in March, so we were only together for three months. I graduated in March, so we were together for only three months. However, I was impressed by his human charm and his excellent research, so I visited him often after I started working there.

That was when I was assigned to the Institute for Chemical Research at Kyoto University. Moving a chemistry laboratory is very difficult. There is a huge amount of chemical compounds. I had to split up with a small group of staff and students to clean up. Mr. Son was a third-year doctor and extremely busy, but he helped me all the way through without a single grimace. I thought he was an amazing person. That was the beginning, and although we were both busy with our work, we continued to communicate with each other.

After receiving my doctorate from Kyoto University, I worked at Sekisui Chemical for nearly 10 years developing materials for displays. I was unable to get to mass production, so I changed jobs at Samsung Display to change my environment. I had a house in Shiga, but I convinced my family to move to Korea. After retiring in 2019, I was working as a consultant for a chemical company when I was approached by Dr. Nakamura about implementing iron catalysts in society.

No, there is a big difference between dreams and reality (laughs). I couldn't judge for myself how feasible it was, so I talked about it with my colleagues who had joined the company when I was at Samsung Display. He expressed interest, saying, "There is a possibility that it could be used as a material for OLED. I thought, "If that's what a specialist says, then it could work. I also thought that because I had experience working on both sides of the business, on the side of making materials and on the side of using them, I might be able to turn iron catalyst technology into a business, so I thought I would give it a try! I thought, "Let's do it!

Rare metals are produced in a limited number of countries, have geopolitical and depletion risks, and environmental pollution during mining is also a problem. Moreover, they are expensive. In contrast, iron is a metal that exists in abundance on the earth, is inexpensive, and has low greenhouse gas emissions during production. If iron can be used as a catalyst, environmental impact can be reduced and costs can be cut. For manufacturers, another major advantage is the ability to respond to ESG and SDGs by replacing rare metal catalysts with iron catalysts.

When I was a student, I came across synthetic organic chemistry and thought it was amazing and interesting to be able to create something that had never existed in the world before! I thought, "This is amazing and interesting! As I continued my research, I began to think that I wanted to do research that would lead to the world, and I focused on metal catalysts. There was a lot of research on rare metal catalysts often used in chemical synthesis, but strangely enough, there were few reports on iron catalysts, the most familiar metal. This intrigued me and I began my research.

As I accumulated know-how through a series of experiments, I found that I could control iron-catalyzed reactions, and in about 2000, I was able to acquire a sense of controlling iron catalysts. I was also conducting joint research with private companies to achieve actual production of compounds using iron catalysts, but it tended to be short-term research. I thought that the only way to commercialize iron catalysts as a broad, long-lasting science and technology was to establish my own company. But I didn't know what to do to start a business. So I approached Mr. Sun, who had experience in corporate development. I was selected for the Kyoto University Incubation Program, which Mr. Son took the lead in applying for, and I decided to get serious about it. And in 2021, I established TSK. By the way, the company name comes from the initial letters of iron (T), catalyst (S), and chemistry (K).

OLED materials are used in panels for monitors in smartphones, PCs, and TVs. We have been working with a major display manufacturer for a year and a half to improve the luminous efficiency and color purity of the material, with the aim of adopting it for 2026 model year products.

It is possible to replace the rare metal catalysts used in the synthesis of organic electronic materials with iron catalysts, and we have succeeded in creating materials with new performance that could not be achieved before using iron catalysts. If adopted, the impact would be significant.

I believe that if the world becomes friendly to all people and the environment, everyone will be able to live a safe and secure life. I hope that TSK's technology can be a catalyst for such a world.