Ball Wave NEWS RELEASE

August 31, 2021
Ball Wave, Inc.

Ball Wave develops ultra-miniature
high-performance gas chromatographThis ground-breaking new technology is a product of R&Dcollaboration at JAXA Space-Exploration Innovation HubBall Wave Inc., headquartered in the city of Sendai in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture and led by
CEO Shingo Akao, has been working with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
to conduct collaborative research under the Open Innovation Hub for Expanding
Humanosphere and the Domain of Human Activity through Solar System FrontierDevelopment(1) program organized by JAXA Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center(commonly known simply as JAXA Exploration Hub). The official theme of this researchcollaboration is Development of a high-sensitivity, high-precision portable gas
chromatograph(2) capable of analyzing many volatile substances; its objective is to design
a portable sensor—for use both in space and on Earth—capable of detecting various gases andvolatile organic compounds with high sensitivity and high precision.
Today, Ball Wave Inc. is excited to announce that this research has produced a groundbreaking technological achievement: the development of a working prototype of a portablegas chromatograph. JAXA and Ball Wave Inc. will present this work on September 11, 2021
at the autumn 2021 meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics.
(1) This program was selected as a Project to Facilitate the Construction of Innovation Hubs by the Japan Scienceand Technology Agency, which provided support over a five-year period (from June 1, 2015 to March 31, 2020). The
research discussed here was a collaborative effort based on this project.
(2) When a blend of two or more gases passes through a specialized flow path—consisting of a hollow tube wrappedaround a reel and known as a column—the various components of the mixture naturally separate in time. A gas
chromatograph is an analytical instrument that exploits this temporal-separation phenomenon to identify and measure
the concentrations of the constituents of gaseous mixtures. Conventional gas chromatographs are large instruments
typically installed in tabletop configurations; although portable versions have been developed, their sensitivity andprecision are generally inferior to those of larger instruments.

The Ball Wave-JAXA research collaboration exploited two revolutionary new highsensitivity sensor technologies developed by Ball Wave—the ball-SAW sensor(3) and themetal-MEMS column(4)—to construct a portable gas chromatograph with dimensions of just
100×100×100 mm and a weight of about 1 kg (left image below), suitable for use in space
exploration.
Moreover, the success of this project inspired the development of a second complementary
instrument: a palm-sized gas chromatograph for terrestrial use (right image below), for which
Ball Wave has begun to provide prototypes.
1Ball Wave NEWS RELEASE

August 31, 2021
Ball Wave, Inc.

(3) A sensor, developed by Tohoku University Professor Emeritus Kazushi Yamanaka and collaborators, based on thephenomenon of surface acoustic waves (SAWs)—elastic surface oscillations that can concentrate and propagate acrosssolid surfaces—traveling on the surface of spheres.
(4) A fine-processed column of high durability, developed at Tohoku University, that uses tiny planar column
elements—fabricated using the ultra-miniaturized processing methods of modern micro-electro-mechanical system(MEMS) technology—to convert brittle, fragile silicon into a robust metal-like substance.

The new space-exploration gas chromatograph might be used for continuous monitoring ofinterior atmosphere in manned spacecraft, or could be mounted on rovers or other spacevehicles tasked with exploring the Moon, Mars, or other small planets, where it could be used
for quantitative, in-situ analyses of atmospheric gases and gases emitted by heating of soil
samples. The fruits of this research initiative may well lay the groundwork for major progressin areas such as the optimal utilization of space resources and related life-science questions.
Meanwhile, as detailed below, the new palm-sized gas chromatograph for terrestrial use has
potential applications spanning a wide range of fields—from energy and industry, toagriculture, forestry, and fishing, to health care—and may play a key role in building safe,
secure, clean, and sustainable future societies. Ball Wave has received permission from JAXA
to use the JAXA COSMODE logo for this terrestrial-use gas chromatograph.
Energy / Industry: Component analysis for evaluating the energy content of natural gas;
component analysis of gases emitted from binders or electrolytes during production or use oflithium-ion batteries; VOC analysis; detection of offensive odors
Agriculture, forestry, fishing: Reduced food loss via early detection of degradation in fresh
fish, fruits and vegetables, and cooking oils; aroma analysis for monitoring of production2

Ball Wave NEWS RELEASE

August 31, 2021
Ball Wave, Inc.

processes for alcoholic beverages, soy sauce, and other products
Health care: Detection of toxic gases in residential areas and contaminants in soil; detectionof illnesses via analysis of bodily gases: breath, body odor, intestinal gases■ About the JAXA Space Exploration Innovation HubCenter
The Exploration Hub is a center for collaborative research
initiatives involving corporations, universities, and research institutes. The Hub is committed
to the long-term objective of applying the fruits of research to the challenge of space
exploration, while simultaneously working in the near term to pursue practicalcommercialization opportunities on Earth and to select problems with the potential togenerate—and make practical use of—innovation.
Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center website: http://www.ihub-tansa.jaxa.jp/
JST Project to Facilitate the Construction of Innovation Hubs website: https://www.jst.go.jp/ihub/■About Ball Wave Inc.

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Ball Wave NEWS RELEASE

August 31, 2021
Ball Wave, Inc.

Ball Wave Inc. is a startup company founded to develop thetechnology of the ball-SAW sensor—a chemical sensor(5) thatblossomed from technical seeds sown at Tohoku University—for
purposes such as trace moisture analysis and high-speed, highsensitivity detection of multiple gas species, and helping to lay
foundations for safe, secure, clean, and sustainable future societies.
Ball Wave develops, manufactures, and sells measurement
instruments—such as trace-moisture analyzers and gas chromatographs—equipped with ballSAW Sensors. In addition to the high temperature, pressure, and corrosion resistance of
crystal spheres, these sensors boast over 100 times the sensitivity of conventional technologies
and significantly faster response times.
Website: http://ballwave.jp/(5) A sensor technology for capturing chemical transformations of substances■ About JAXA COSMODE
JAXA COSMODE is a brand created in 2008 for advanced
technologies arising from Japanese aerospace R&D and products
created by research collaborations between JAXA and privatesector corporations. Its goal is to inject glimpses of the allure ofspace exploration into the common routines of everyday life. Since
2013, its domain has expanded beyond advanced technologies toinclude merchandise based on JAXA-owned images or movies
with compelling views of the cosmos or the Earth as viewed from space.
Website: https://aerospacebiz.jaxa.jp/success-story/■ About Ball Wave’s FalconTrace Series Trace-moisture Analyzers
Ball Wave’s FalconTrace series of instruments is capable of measuring trace moisture
content at levels ranging from parts per million to parts per billion—the sensitivities demanded
for quality control of industrial gases in fields such as semiconductor manufacturing andlithium-ion battery production. The FalconTrace series offers a three-product lineup. The
flagship instrument is the FT-700WT, the most powerful of Ball Wave’s ultra-miniaturemoisture-content sensors. The FT-400WT is a mid-range instrument that allows real-time4Ball Wave NEWS RELEASE

August 31, 2021
Ball Wave, Inc.

measurements. Finally, the FT-300WT is a smaller, general-purpose instrument designed for
portability without sacrificing high-speed operation. Ball Wave is currently engaged in mass
production and sales of these instruments to a wide range of industrial customers, including
manufacturers of semiconductor production equipment and producers of lithium-ion batteries.

For questions concerning this press release, contact:
Ball Wave Inc. (Attn: Suzuki)
E-mail: info@ballwave.jp
Phone: 03-5979-2357

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