Menicon Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 21-19, Aoi 3, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Japan; President and COO: Koji Kawaura) announces that the results of the joint study with Nagoya Institute of Technology have been published in Applied Materials & Interfaces, a journal issued by the American Chemical Society (ACS), in November 2024.
In collaboration with Professor Katsuhiro Yamamoto of Nagoya Institute of Technology, Menicon has been engaged in the research of surface science utilizing advanced research facilities. We elucidated nano-scale chemical structures by systematically exploring chemical changes caused by plasma using advanced measurement at SPring-8*1 and Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC).*2 Plasma treatment technology can be utilized in the development of contact lens technology, ranging from that for rigid gas permeable contact lenses to silicone hydrogel contact lenses, as well as in the fields of semiconductors, automobiles, and home appliances.
As nano-scale chemical structures of contact lens surfaces are strongly correlated with surface texture (affinity to water),*3 this technology is expected to be utilized in the design of contact lens surfaces in the future.
The study has been published with the title “Surface Depth Analysis of Chemical Changes in Random Copolymer Thin Films Composed of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Silicon-Based Monomers Induced by Plasma Treatment as Studied by Hard X ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Neutron Reflectivity Measurements.”
The Applied Materials & Interfaces, in which the results have been published, is one of the leading journals on surface science in the world issued by the American Chemical Society (ACS).
To pursue scientific research on the contact lens materials and surfaces, Menicon offered a collaborative research course at the Organization for Co-Creation Research and Social Contributions of Nagoya Institute of Technology until March 2024, and established the Menicon Future Device Laboratory at Tohoku University in April 2024. Regarding the research activities, we have been working on elucidating scientific changes caused by nano-scale microstructures and chemical structures of contact lens materials and surfaces by utilizing quantum beam sources at various facilities.
“Contributing to society by providing superior visual correction” being the corporate principle since its founding, Menicon has strived to develop products and provide services focusing on safety.
We will continue to focus on security and safety to support as many people as possible in improving their vision.
*1SPring-8 (the world’s largest synchrotron radiation facility)
Located in Harima Science Garden City in Hyogo Prefecture and owned by RIKEN, the SPring-8 facility generates the world’s highest-performance synchrotron radiation — a narrow and extremely powerful light obtained when the direction of electrons accelerated to close to the speed of light is bent using electromagnets. At SPring-8, research is conducted using the synchrotron radiation in a wide range of fields, including nanotechnology, biotechnology, and their industrial applications.
*2Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC)
This complex promotes research that unravels the mysteries of the universe by exploring the origins of matter and life from the structure of atoms and molecules in substances; it also promotes studies that investigate elementary particles and atomic nuclei. In particular, at the Material and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF), high-intensity pulsed neutrons and muons are used for cutting-edge research and development in various fields for purposes ranging from scientific elucidation to industrial application.
https://j-parc.jp/c/en/index.html
*3Yamamoto. Japanese Journal of Polymer Science and Technology 74(1) 36-40.
Water content near surface of poly(dimethyl siloxane)-co-poly(N,N-dimethyl acrylamide) hydrogel revealed by neutron reflectivity measurements.