TCL #30: Transforming Tomorrow's Materials, Energy, & Computing

This week's The Chem Ledger spotlights partnerships reshaping industries, from Nanotherm and Battelle's CNT heating solutions to Intel and Shell's immersion cooling technology for data centers. Notable advancements include MP Materials' rare earth supply chain development in Saudi Arabia and Realta Fusion's $36 million funding for modular fusion energy. Join me as I explore how these strategic alliances are accelerating innovation in material science, energy, and computing technologies.

Materials

1. Nanotherm has entered a preliminary agreement with Battelle to develop sophisticated carbon nanotube (CNT)-based heating solutions. The collaboration focuses on creating lighter, more efficient, and safer heating products for the automotive, industrial, and consumer sectors. Initial development efforts will target the automotive industry, with pilot projects involving Hyundai and Tier-1 mobility suppliers. Innovations aim to enhance passenger comfort and safety while preserving battery life and increasing vehicle range. Since its founding in 2016, Nanotherm has been developing CNT technology as coatings and films for electronics and heat-sensitive technologies. Andy Dickson, the CEO of Nanotherm, characterized this alliance as :

"a significant next step in Nanotherm’s continued growth."

Adding that:

"Partnering with a trusted and highly respected institution like Battelle will not only accelerate our product development cycle, it also offers our team the opportunity to partner with some of the preeminent material science experts in the country. "

Battelle contributes substantial expertise to the venture, with more than 15 years of experience developing advanced heating technologies, particularly relevant to automotive and aerospace implementations. Both organizations maintain their headquarters in Ohio, potentially facilitating closer collaboration between their technical teams.

2. NY CREATES and Fraunhofer IPMS have established a joint development agreement to advance memory devices at the 300 mm wafer scale. The focus of the agreement is on developing the next-generation of ferroelectric memory devices, considered essential components for neuromorphic computing applications.

These specialized computing architectures mimic human brain function by designing hardware and software that simulate neural and synaptic structures for information processing. It is viewed as a promising technology for advancing artificial intelligence capabilities, enhancing high-performance computing, and potentially enabling more sophisticated machine learning models.

NY CREATES is a non-profit organization that manages New York State's high-tech assets and serves as an innovation hub for advanced digital, analog, and power technologies. Fraunhofer IPMS is a research and development service provider in electronic and photonic microsystems.

3. Woodsafe Timber Protection AB, a Swedish manufacturer of fire-resistant wood products, has formed a partnership with Tantimber. Tantimber is based in Istanbul, Turkey. The partnership aims to provide timber solutions that emphasize design, durability, and fire safety while maintaining environmental responsibility.

Woodsafe utilizes a vacuum pressure impregnation process that allows fire retardants to penetrate deeply into the wood, thus creating timber that resists conflagration from within rather than without. The collaboration is expected to expand Woodsafe's market presence in Europe and the Middle East, where demand for sustainable timber construction is increasing, especially as concrete's carbon footprint becomes untenable.

Rare Earths

MP Materials, an American rare-earth materials company, and Maaden, a Saudi state-owned mining company, have partnered to develop a rare earth supply chain in Saudi Arabia. The partnership aims to create a vertically integrated supply chain, encompassing mining, separation, refining, and magnet production. The partnership was formalized during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum 2025.

EV

Zeon Corporation and Sino Applied Technology (SiAT) have formed a strategic partnership to expand the production of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) conductive paste for lithium batteries. Zeon will lead a $20 million Series C fundraising round for SiAT to enhance its production capacity of SWCNTS.  Zeon is a Japanese producer of plastics, rubber and other materials whereas SiAT is a Taiwanese material technology company that was founded in 2018 to develop advanced nanomaterials to enhance the efficiency and longevity of lithium-ion batteries.

Immersion Cooling

Intel and Shell are collaborating on immersion cooling technology for data centers. Intel has certified Shell's lubricant-based method for cooling servers that utilize Intel's Xeon processors. Future collaborations between Intel and Shell aim to certify newer Intel processors for use with Shell fluids. The liquid cooling market grew significantly in 2023, with projections indicating a compound annual growth rate of 45% from 2023 to 2028, and is expected to represent 36% of data center thermal management revenue by 2028.

Fusion Energy

Realta Fusion Inc., an American fusion energy company, has secured $36 million in funding to advance its modular fusion energy technology. Realta Fusion's technology utilizes a magnetic mirror to confine plasma using two high-field superconducting magnets. Realta plans to produce power at an initial cost of $100 per megawatt-hour, with goals to lower this to $40 per megawatt-hour.

Instrumentation

BUCHI has acquired Si-Ware Systems' NeoSpectra Platform. The acquisition includes a handheld NIR (Near-Infrared) analyzer and a cloud-based software portal for managing data, devices, and calibration models. The NeoSpectra Scanner has been rebranded as BUCHI ProxiScout, serving as an in-field analyzer to detect adulteration and variations in critical parameters like moisture and protein content.