The chemical industry relies on metals, polymers, and ceramics to drive construction, packaging, electronics, and automotive industries.
These materials have sustainability issues, performance limitations under extreme conditions, and a heavy environmental footprint. Their production and disposal involve energy-intensive processes.
As their alternative, the advanced materials are transforming the chemical industry by addressing these challenges. Materials like engineered polymers, bio-based composites, and nanomaterials offer superior properties, including enhanced strength, lightweight, and better chemical resistance. These materials can reduce energy consumption, lower emissions, and improve performance and durability.
This article explores five early-stage advanced material startups changing the chemical industry. These startups have the potential to grow rapidly, are in a good market position, or can introduce game-changing technology to the market in the next 2-3 years.
This makes them a great option to partner, collaborate, or acquire.
1. Soarce Bio-based SEARAMIC from Seaweed
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida, US |
| Total Funding Amount | $1.5 Million |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-seed/$1.5 Million |
| Website | https://www.soarceusa.com/ |
Synthetic materials commonly used in the fashion and related industries pose environmental and sustainability challenges. These materials are often derived from non-renewable resources, contributing to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. They are also less durable, leading to faster degradation and disposal, further exacerbating waste problems.
Soarce has developed a technology called SEARAMIC. It is a bio-based product that combines seaweed and nanoceramic materials to create a new type of fabric and additive. Its manufacturing process is non-toxic.
Searamic is versatile and can be integrated into water-based manufacturing processes. The fabric can provide enhanced UV filtering, fire resistance without harmful chemicals, corrosion, and oxidation resistance, and the ability to modify surfaces to be smooth and low-drag.
Searamic stands out from existing solutions by being both environmentally friendly and high-performing.
Derek Saltzman is the co-founder and CEO of this startup. He is a Materials Researcher and Laboratory Operations Manager for the University of Central Florida (UCF) and holds a degree in Material Engineering from the same university.
Soarce raised the latest pre-seed funding of $1.5M on Jan 1, 2023, led by Boost VC.
2. Cancrie’s New Bio-based Carbon Changing Battery Storage
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis, Indiana, US |
| Total Funding Amount | $120k |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-Seed/$120k |
| Website | https://www.cancrie.co/ |
Traditional energy storage materials used in batteries and capacitors have inefficiencies and environmental concerns. The core problem lies in the reliance on materials derived from non-renewable sources like petroleum. It depletes finite resources and involves energy-intensive processes and chemical usage.
The existing materials often fall short in performance metrics like energy efficiency and lifespan, leading to increased costs and waste through frequent replacements and warranty claims.
Cancrie has developed “Cancrie Carbon” technology to address these problems. It is a novel material crafted from sustainable bio-based raw materials, specifically agricultural waste.
Biowaste material undergoes a thermal treatment process to produce nanocarbons with a superior surface area, optimized pore network, and enhanced surface wettability, improving the electrochemical reactions within battery electrodes.
Cancrie Carbon is designed to be integrated seamlessly into existing production lines, reducing the need for additional changes or investments in new manufacturing processes.
The material achieves a 97% ampere-hour (Ah) efficiency and 86% watt-hour (Wh) efficiency. This efficiency translates into a 12-15% increase in Wh efficiency and lower power consumption. Cancrie’s solution provides up to 50% longer life and higher capacity retention.
Co-founder and CEO Akshay Jain is a member of many reputed global organizations and programs like India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and the UN Environment Programme. He also has experience as Co-founder and CTO of Mesotope Pte. Ltd.
Akshay worked as a principal investigator and technology consultant for MNCs and SMEs in Singapore. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Techstars led Caprice’s latest pre-seed funding round on September 13, 2021, and helped it raise $120K.
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3. Lattice Grand Using TCV Technology to Create Thin Circuits
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Nanchangshi, Jiangxi, China |
| Total Funding Amount | CN¥50 Million |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Angel Investment/CN¥50 Million |
| Website | http://www.latticegrand.com/ |
The semiconductor and electronics industries have challenges related to miniaturization, heat management, and the integration of electronic components. The primary problem is the need for advanced materials to support the increasing demand for smaller, more powerful electronic devices.
These devices require substrates that facilitate higher circuit density and efficiently dissipate heat, maintain signal integrity, and provide robust physical support.
Lattice Grand has developed a thin-film circuit ceramic packaging substrate technology to tackle these challenges. This technology integrates film metallization, image transfer, and Through Ceramic Via (TCV) technology on high thermal conductive ceramic substrates.
The process allows for the creation of 2D metal circuits and the formation of vertical interconnections between double-sided wiring, culminating in a 3D metal frame tightly bound to the ceramic substrate.
This approach results in a high-density, double-sided wiring system that supports the requirements of semiconductor device miniaturization, integration, and high heat dissipation.
Lattice Grand’s technology solves the conductive hole cavity problem and its ability to meet the stringent requirements of semiconductor packaging.
Lattice Grand raised CN¥50 Million from an angel investment round on Dec 30, 2021. GSR United Capital was the lead investor in this round.
4. Carbon Waters Creating High-Quality Graphene with CWEP Technology
| Founding Year | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Pessac, Aquitaine, France |
| Total Funding Amount | €1.6M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed/€700K |
| Website | https://www.carbon-waters.com/ |
The advanced materials sector needs high-quality, sustainable, and safe materials. Traditional materials have limitations, such as insufficient thermal/mechanical resistance and inefficiencies in battery management. Production and use of these materials also pose environmental and health risks.
There is a significant need for materials that can be produced sustainably and safely without compromising performance.
Carbon Waters has developed a proprietary technology called the Carbon Waters Exfoliation Process (CWEP) to address these challenges.
This process enables the production of high-quality, few-layer graphene in liquid dispersions, which are stable and ready to use. These graphene-based additives are produced without surfactants. Surfants stabilize graphene dispersions but can introduce impurities and affect performance.
The graphene obtained is sourced from natural amorphous graphite and is exploring more sustainable sources like biochar or graphite from responsible industrial processes.
Unlike powder-form graphene, which poses inhalation risks, Carbon Waters’ liquid graphene dispersions are safe to handle and integrate into various industrial processes.
Alban Chesneau is leading this startup with 18+ years of experience in research and management.
He worked in various roles for the CAG group, including operation director, senior manager, and research consultant. Alban holds a Ph.D. in Life sciences and bioinformatics from Harvard Medical School-CNRS.
Carbon Waters raised €700K from a Seed round on Jan 1, 2020.
5. Multiscale Systems Developed Metamaterials and Composites to Withstand Extreme Conditions
| Founding Year | 2018 |
| Headquarters | Worcester, Massachusetts, US |
| Total Funding Amount | $1.8M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Grant/$250K |
| Website | https://multiscalesystems.com/ |
The demand for materials with superior mechanical, thermal, and acoustical properties is increasing. Traditional materials often struggle to meet these advanced functional requirements while remaining lightweight, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable.
The challenge is to create materials that can withstand extreme conditions, such as high pressure, temperature variations, and mechanical stress, without compromising weight or durability.
To solve these problems, Multiscale Systems has developed a range of metamaterial composites, such as MetaCORE®, MetaCORE®-LD, and MetaTHERM®.
These products are based on patented geometric patterns applied to common materials like metals, polymers, and composites, resulting in structures with unique properties. For example, MetaCORE® is an ideal energy absorber with customizable crush strength.
Multiscale Systems materials exhibit high specific energy absorption (SEA), high crush force efficiency (CFE), and excellent thermal regulation.
These metamaterial composites can withstand severe pressure differentials and extreme environments. These are made from recycled materials, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional composites.
CEO Jesse Silverberg holds a Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University and started as a Postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. He also works as CRO for Armory Technologies.
Multiscale Systems has the latest funding as a grant of $250K received from the US Department of Energy on Dec 12, 2023.
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Author: Naveen Kumar, Marketing.
