July 2011
New Development of the iLUMiO® Visible Light Driven Photocatalyst

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (“the Company”) has unveiled for the first time in theworld that PET film coated with the Company’s proprietary iLUMiO® tungsten visible
light driven photocatalyst is capable of inactivating goose parvovirus (GPV), which has
the highest level of resistance among viruses, to a level of 1/1,000 or below in 50% tissue
culture infectious dose, by exposing the virus to white LED irradiation (1,000lx) for sixhours.
The demand for photocatalysts as an environmental cleanup material has recently been
growing because they have desired properties such as decomposing nearby organic
materials or making it difficult for dirt to adhere owing to their high oxidation effectunder light exposure. At present, most photocatalysts are ultraviolet light driven
photocatalysts which manifest their effects when exposed to the strong light energy ofultraviolet light. While these photocatalysts have been developed for outdoor use, recent
developments have brought about visible light driven photocatalysts for indoor use,which exhibit catalytic activity also under violet and blue lights having longer
wavelengths than ultraviolet light. Efforts are underway toward further improving
their photocatalytic performance.
The Company has a product line of both ultraviolet light driven photocatalysts andvisible light driven photocatalysts, which are used for such wide-ranging applications asbuilding exteriors, window glass, blinds and curtains. In 2008, the Company developed
the high performance tungsten visible light driven photocatalyst iLUMiO® bycapitalizing on its advanced technical expertise cultivated over many years in the fieldof ceramics synthesis technology. iLUMiO® has a far greater sensitivity to visible lightcompared with earlier visible light driven photocatalysts. Among other things, iLUMiO®
shows a strong antiviral effect under indoor lighting.
In its recent test, the Company coated PET film with iLUMiO® and verified its
performance against GPV under six hours of exposure to white LED light (1,000lx),
which is drawing attention as a next-generation light source. The GPV used in the test
is a virus with resistance so great that it can withstand alcohol antiseptics, heating at80ºC for 15 minutes, or exposure to a 2,000ppm sodium hypochlorite solution for 301minutes. The ability of iLUMiO® to inactivate GPV suggests that iLUMiO® may beeffective against many other viruses as well. While earlier visible light driven
photocatalysts have been known to show indoor photocatalytic effects when exposed toeven a small amount of ultraviolet light emitted by fluorescent lighting, iLUMiO®
manifests antiviral properties under white LED lighting that emits no ultraviolet lightwhatsoever. Thus, iLUMiO® has an unprecedentedly high level of visible light sensitivity.
The Company plans to use iLUMiO® to develop films which react to indoor light anddecompose nearby viruses for such applications as interior materials in hospitals,
nursing care facilities, schools and other public facilities, in food processing plants that
require high sanitary standards, and in public transportation facilities, department
stores and other commercial facilities where large numbers of people gather.
Photocatalysts represent a promising environmental technology that can be used not
only for their self-cleaning, air purifying, and antibacterial properties, but also for theirability of decomposing toxic materials or preventing food poisoning and communicablediseases. The Company is working to develop photocatalysts for indoor as well as
outdoor use by further improving the properties of photocatalysts, especially for thoseindoor applications where demand is projected to increase much, as it pursues vigorous
business development to seize the growing market demand.

2