Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on solutions for the engineering and materials sectors. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 4 promising aerogel startups.
Heat Map: 4 Top Aerogel Startups
For our 4 top picks, we used a data-driven startup scouting approach to identify the most relevant solutions globally. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 4 interesting examples out of 57 relevant solutions. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.
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Blueshift Materials – Composite Structures
Modern composite structures are designed to reduce the weight of the materials as much as possible without compromising on structural integrity. Aerogel’s properties allow it to bond easily with other materials to produce stronger and more versatile composites with reduced weight.
The US-based startup Blueshift Materials manufactures aerogel-based composites that are suitable for integration into existing designs. The company’s aerogel polymer bonds with a wide range of metals, fibers, plastics, and other materials. Their solution enables the end design to be comparatively more durable and lightweight while providing better insulation and radio frequency transmission.
Graphene Composites – Aerospace
Current aerospace components producers use carbon fiber or its composites to build lighter and stronger parts. Aerogel allows manufacturers to use the same process as in carbon fiber production to create aerogel composite parts that offer decent aerospace properties at a better weight-to-strength ratio than carbon fiber.
British startup Graphene Composites creates graphene-aerogel composite structural components for aircraft. The properties of aerogel allow better thermal insulation for the components, which reduces the amount of expansion and contraction at high altitudes and dampens the number of vibrations. As a result, it helps aircraft achieve higher speeds and reduces the overall friction by the component.
OROS – Clothing
Initially, NASA developed the idea of using the insulating properties of aerogel to build spacesuits. Since that time, this idea has been adapted for the use in apparel as aerogel is flexible enough to retain its insulating properties at high and low temperatures.
The US-based startup OROS uses the thermal insulation capabilities of aerogel to create clothing that maintains thermal protection even in the coldest environments. Besides, the startup manufactures its own patented flexible aerogel composite, called Solarcore, which is designed for warmer climates.
Ecoworth Tech – Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater treatment is a process that requires filters to consistently remove collected impurities. However, in order to maintain the cycle, filters undergo regular replacement, which usually incurs high recurring costs. Thanks to their porous nature and rechargeable high absorption capacity, aerogel filters bring down the cost of constant replacement of conventional filters.
Singaporean startup EcoWorth Tech is a specialist solution provider in the sphere of waste transformation into valuable materials. With the use of carbon fiber aerogel, the startup manufactures rechargeable cartridges with a high absorption capacity for wastewater filtering.
What About The Other 53 Aerogel Startups?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence for your Proof of Concept (PoC), partnership, or investment targets. The 4 startups showcased above are promising examples out of 57 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria and collaboration strategy, get in touch.
