Central Outline

The Research Center for Strategic Materials, established independently from the other 3 research divisions, promotes the research towards the “reduction, substitution, and recycling” of rare metals which are materials that satisfy our social demands in the era when the natural resources are becoming depleted. The first and foremost feature of the center involves the placement of the Structural Materials Unit (consisting of 4 groups) at its core. Since a large part of the total amount of rare elements in Japan is being used for the additional alloying elements of structural materials, the reduction of rare metals must be considered in the strategy for determining the elements of structural materials. The second feature is the independent establishment of the Materials Recycling Design Group which carries out the research on the recycling of rare metals from the “urban mine”, a specific area that NIMS has been focusing on. Furthermore, the Strategic Materials Information Group was established to carry out the collaboration and promotion of strategic materials not only within NIMS but with other organizations throughout Japan. This research center intends to support the continuous advancement of materials research during the natural resource depletion period.