Five Commercial Agreements Enabling Low Carbon Nanomaterials

Growing energy demand and rising consumption of manufactured products are increasing industrial activity and accelerating climate change impacts. At the same time, industries are under pressure to decarbonise production while maintaining performance and scalability.

 

Nanomaterials offer a wide range of applications across the energy, environmental, and chemical sectors. They can address multiple environmental challenges while enabling products and processes that support long-term sustainability goals. As a result, nanotechnology is increasingly viewed as a practical tool for reducing emissions and improving industrial outcomes.

 

These materials show strong potential in greenhouse gas sequestration and reduction, energy production and storage, manufacture of specialty chemicals, and environmental remediation. Importantly, they enable these outcomes through more sustainable production approaches.

 

This article explores five commercial agreements that demonstrate how nanomaterials are being applied to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, support climate targets, and advance circular economy principles.

 

Strategic Partnership between Alixlabs and NSS Water

 

Challenge

Water use in semiconductor manufacturing has risen by 20–30% in recent years. A single chip facility can consume up to 10 million gallons of ultrapure water (UPW) each day, comparable to the needs of a mid-sized city. Producing UPW is both energy- and chemical-intensive, making it between 60 and 350 times more expensive than drinking water.

 

Demand is set to increase further as more advanced manufacturing plants come online. At the same time, nearly 40% of future chip production is expected to occur in regions facing high water stress by 2030. Securing reliable access to high-purity water while reducing cost and environmental exposure has become a strategic priority for the industry.

 

Solution 

To address this challenge, Swedish semiconductor manufacturer AlixLabs has entered a strategic collaboration with NSS Water to develop advanced ultrapure water (UPW) for chip production.

 

As part of the agreement, NSS Water will share its NanoPure® Water (NPW) technology, which removes nano-scale contamination above 5–10 nanometers. Eliminating this level of contamination is critical to avoid yield losses and enable faster manufacturing of semiconductor chips.

 

The collaboration combines NSS Water’s purification technology with Fraunhofer IPMS’s expertise in advanced contamination and defect control. This integration allows the partners to improve water recycling performance, reduce chemical consumption, and optimize overall UPW process efficiency across semiconductor manufacturing operations.

 

 

Outcome

The approach supports circular water use while maintaining standard performance requirements needed for advanced semiconductor production. The collaboration reduces water consumption, lowers operating costs, and supports more sustainable semiconductor manufacturing. It enables cleaner production processes and contributes to the industry’s transition toward greener, more resilient chip production.

 

Research and Development Agreement between Skeleton Technologies and Fibenol

 

Challenge

Battery manufacturing increasingly relies on fossil fuel-based chemicals as global battery demand continues to accelerate. Battery materials must meet rising performance requirements while aligning with climate targets and ensure resource security.

 

At the same time, conventional battery manufacturing relies on toxic solvents and non-biodegradable chemicals like polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). PVDF is a widely used PFAS-based cathode binder, increasing regulatory and sustainability pressure across the value chain.

 

Solution

To develop a renewable alternative, Estonian companies Skeleton Technologies and Fibenol have partnered under the EU-funded WOODCELL project. The collaboration evaluates microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from woody biomass as a replacement for fossil-based binders such as PVDF in lithium-ion batteries.

 

Fibenol supplies MCC derived from low-value hardwood residues in Estonia using an energy-efficient fractionation process. This approach enables local sourcing, reduces transport emissions, and improves supply chain resilience. Skeleton is assessing MCC’s performance in battery electrodes, including its compatibility with water-based processing, which could eliminate the need for harmful solvents like N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone.

 

Outcome

The project advances a viable pathway toward lower-carbon, circular battery manufacturing. By enabling bio-based binders and water-based processing, the collaboration supports safer production, reduced emissions, and more sustainable energy storage systems.

 

Strategic Partnership between Samsung E&A and Svante

 

Challenge

As hard-to-abate industries face increasing pressure to decarbonise, demand for carbon capture solutions is accelerating. Heavy industry and energy producers require commercially viable pathways to reduce emissions at scale while maintaining operational reliability. Commercial-scale carbon capture projects are now critical to meeting near- and medium-term emissions targets.

 

Solution

Canada-based Svante and SAMSUNG E&A have signed a joint development agreement to deliver standardized, skid-mounted modular carbon capture plants. The collaboration is built around Svante’s VeloxoTherm™ solid sorbent-based carbon capture filter technology, combined with SAMSUNG E&A’s digital engineering capabilities and expertise in modularisation, procurement, and construction. The agreement enables an integrated carbon capture solution covering front-end engineering through final project delivery.

 

Svante’s technology uses structured adsorbent filters coated with nanoengineered solid materials to capture CO₂ from post-combustion emissions. Some of the hard-to-abate sectors where this collaboration can help include cement, steel, pulp and paper, waste-to-energy, fertilizers, and hydrogen production. Samsung E&A applies advanced digital tools and standardized plant design to improve project speed, scalability, and execution certainty.

 

Outcome

The partnership enables faster deployment of industrial carbon capture through pre-engineered, modular solutions. It delivers cost and schedule certainty while providing heavy industry and energy clients with a practical, scalable pathway toward net-zero emissions.

 

Strategic Supply Agreement between First Solar and UbiQD

 

Challenge

Electricity demand from data centers, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing is rising rapidly. Meeting this demand while limiting global warming requires a sharp expansion of renewable generation. Solar power is expected to carry much of this load, but further deployment depends on meaningful efficiency gains. Improving photovoltaic conversion efficiency is critical to increasing output, lowering costs, and making solar competitive at utility scale.

 

Solution

U.S.-based quantum dot developer UbiQD has signed an exclusive, multi-year supply agreement with First Solar, a photovoltaic (PV) solar technology and manufacturing company. The agreement enables the integration of UbiQD’s proprietary fluorescent quantum dots into First Solar’s thin-film bifacial photovoltaic modules.

 

The technology is applied to the underside of bifacial panels, where it captures ground-reflected light that would otherwise be lost. For specific wavelengths, the quantum dots can more than double bifacial quantum efficiency. The agreement follows a joint development collaboration launched in 2023 and includes expanded R&D focused on utility-scale performance. Commercial deployment is planned for late 2026.

 

 

Outcome

The partnership improves energy yield with minimal changes to manufacturing processes. Even modest gains in bifacial performance deliver material output increases at utility scale. By using cadmium-free quantum dots based on copper and indium, the technology also supports scalable and more sustainable solar deployment.

 

Memorandum of Understanding between UP Catalyst and Teknos

 

Challenge

Traditional carbon black production depends heavily on fossil-based feedstocks and energy-intensive processes. This reliance contributes directly to carbon emissions and exposes paint and coatings manufacturers to growing regulatory, cost, and supply chain risks as climate targets tighten.

 

Solution

To address this challenge, Finnish company Teknos Group and Estonia-based UP Catalyst have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance sustainable carbon materials for paint and coating applications. The collaboration focuses on replacing fossil-based carbon black with carbon materials produced from captured CO₂, creating a circular model where industrial emissions become a valuable raw material.

 

Under the agreement, the partners will cooperate on material testing, development, production, and supply. Teknos brings deep expertise in paints and coatings, supported by a long-standing commitment to sustainable product development. UP Catalyst contributes proprietary technology that converts industrial CO₂ emissions into high-quality carbon materials, including carbon black, graphite, and carbon nanotubes, suitable for coatings and other industrial applications.

 

Outcome

The partnership enables CO₂-based carbon inputs that reduce reliance on fossil resources and support local production. It strengthens supply chain resilience, enables CO₂ valorisation across industries, and aligns both companies with their long-term climate and sustainability targets.

 

How collaboration is unlocking the potential of nanomaterials

 

These commercial agreements demonstrate how nanomaterials are moving from research to industrial deployment through strategic collaboration. Across semiconductors, solar, batteries, carbon capture, and coatings, nanomaterial-enabled solutions are addressing concrete operational challenges tied to water use, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and material substitution.

 

Collectively, these agreements signal a broader shift in how nanomaterials reach the market. As regulatory pressure intensifies and demand for low-carbon products grows, such partnerships will be critical in accelerating decarbonisation while maintaining industrial competitiveness.

 

Interested in exploring more collaborations driving the market adoption of nanomaterials? 

 

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