Activity of Technical Committee on Metal and Ceramics
Welcome to our Technical Committee on Metal and Ceramics (TC-MC) in the Instituteof Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ). It is expected the TC-MC to promote theelectrical materials and related technologies. Therefore, we have the pleasure to inform
activities of the TC-MC and to communicate with each other.

Mission of TC-MC
The metal and ceramic materials are indispensable toelectric and electronic fields and in front of advanced
technologies all the time. In the twenty-first century,
many advanced technologies need promising materials
such as new materials or new functional materials forthe diversification and renewable society. Therefore,
the metal and ceramic materials are significant still
more and will play an important role as a pioneer in thefuture.
As shown in figure 1, the activities of the TC-MC
have been covering mainly electric, electronic andoptical materials, and their technologies. Namely theirfunctions are extended such as superconductivity,
normal conductivity, semi-conductivity, mechanicalstrength, heat transfer, thermoelectric, photo-electricity,
optical transmission, electrochemical affinity, radioactivity, composites etc.

ApplicationTechnology
Superconductor
Normal conductor
Metal

Semiconductor
Optical material

Ceramic

Chemical f. material
Composites
OthersProcessing andEvaluation

Figure 1

Activity scope of the TC-MC

Furthermore, our activities have been covering database on their processing technologies and theirevaluations in order to fit any applications.

History of TC-MC
The technical committee on the electrical materials
in the IEEJ, predecessor of the present the TC-MC has
been already set up in 1979. With several
reorganizations of the technical committees, theTC-MC under the Fundamental and Materials Society(called A-Society) has been established in 1999 withother eleven technical committees, Research andEducation, Electromagnetic Theory, Plasma Scienceand Technology, Electromagnetic Compatibility,
Pulsed Electromagnetic Energy, Electrical Discharges,
Light Application and Visual Science, Insulation andMeasurement, Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation,
Magnetics, and History of Electrical Engineering.
Recent activities of TC-MC
The activity of the TC-MC is based on theSymposium in the National Convention of the IEEJ,
the Investigation Committee and the Study Meeting
under the TC-MC. The following introduces the resent
Symposiums in the National Convention of the IEEJ
and Study Meeting under the TC-MC as shown in
Table 1 and Table 2, respectively and the third activities
will be found in the next section.
Regularly, the TC-MC meetings are held four times
a year. The main topics to be discussed in the regularmeetings involve introduction and understand foradvanced metal and ceramics, and development of our
TC-MC itself. Last three years, we provided new threetechnologies and related materials such the attractive
carbon nano-tube and the functional diamond.
Recent year, much attention has been paid on aninvestigation on advanced electrode materials for future
batteries and fuel cells to be compatible with clean,green, renewable and sustainable society.
Last year, two study meetings were held in TC-MC,
in which one meeting held on November 28 was
jointed with TC-Magnetics.
1Table 1

Symposiums in the National Convention of the IEEJ

Theme
Date
Attractive carbon nano-tube as a new electric and electronic 2004.03.17
material
Remarkably advanced diamond for electric and electronic 2005.03.17
materials
Electrode materials for fuel cells and the secondary butteries
2006.03.17
Table 2Site
Aoyama-Gakuin University
Tokushima UniversityYokohama National University

Study Meetings in TC-MC including a Joint Meeting

ThemeDate
Magnetic materials, general magnetic applications, and 2006.11.28
nano-scale superconductors*
Advanced electrode materials for fuel cells and a field trip
2006.12.05

Site
Yokohama National University
Gas-no-Kagakukan in Tokyo
Gas Co., Ltd.

Note * This meeting was jointed with Technical Committee on Magnetics in IEEEJ
Activities of Investigation Committee in TC-MC
As of 2007, there is one investigation committee
under TC-MC as shown in Table 3, the name of whichis “Fabrication technologies and characterizations ofadvanced superconducting materials”. The chairpersonand secretary are Dr. Hiroaki Kumakura (NationalInstitute for Materials Science, NIMS) and Dr. Takao
Takeuchi (NIMS), respectively. Regularly, there are six
meetings a year.
The meetings discuss fabrication technologies andevaluations on electromagnetic, thermal andmechanical properties mainly for Nb3Al conductors,
Bi-based oxide superconductors, MgB2 conductors andTable 3

Y-based oxide superconductors. Most expecting
investigation results are fabrication technologies toproduce a long-length wire for MgB2 and Y-basedoxide, and their cost performances as the practicalsuperconductors and their applied technologies to suchas persistent current mode-coils, cables, transformers,
fault current limiters and so on. As an intermediate
result, 3-1¥/Am-coated conductors of the Y-basedoxide superconductor will be available in the near
future.

Investigation Committees under the TC-MC

Research Subject
Superconducting materials and electronicdevices
Wire and conductor forming of superconducting materials
Fabrication technologies and characterization of advanced superconducting materials

Chairperson (Affiliation)
PeriodNobuyuki Yoshikawa
1999.10-2002.09(Yokohama National University)
Shirabe Akita
2001.10-2004.09(CRIEPI)
Hiroaki Kumakura
2004.10-2007.09(NIMS)(Manuscript received September28, 2007)
Chairperson: Yasuzo Tanaka (International Superconductivity Technology Center)
Secretary: Masanao Mimura (The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.).
2Remarks
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