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Production of Battery Cathode Precursors from Waste Streams
THE CHALLENGE
A major business challenge facing the battery materials industry is the widening gap between rapidly increasing demand for lithium iron phosphate cathodes and the ability of existing supply chains to deliver consistent, high-purity iron and phosphate inputs at stable costs. Manufacturers remain heavily dependent on virgin mineral feedstocks...
Published: 6/23/2026
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Updated: 6/23/2026
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Inventor(s): Wencai Zhang, Lingqun Zeng
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials, Technology Classifications > Mining and Recycling
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Upcycling of Polyvinyl Chloride into Polyalphaolefin Lubricants
THE CHALLENGE
Polyvinyl chloride PVC creates a major business and sustainability challenge because its high chlorine content and complex additive mixtures make cost effective recycling difficult at industrial scale. Mechanical recycling often produces low value materials, while chemical and thermal methods generate chlorinated intermediates that require...
Published: 7/15/2026
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Updated: 6/23/2026
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Inventor(s): Guoliang Liu, Nuwayo Eric Munyaneza, Connor Thompson, Abby Civiello
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials
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AMDI: Ductile Iron with an Austenite plus Martensite Microstructure
THE CHALLENGE
Industries such as automotive and agriculture increasingly demand ductile cast iron components that can endure high stresses while remaining reliable over long service life. Current manufacturing approaches face a persistent challenge in balancing strength, wear resistance, and ductility. Fully austenitic grades provide excellent corrosion...
Published: 7/14/2026
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Updated: 6/3/2026
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Inventor(s): Alan Druschitz, Emily Leonard
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials
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Distributed feed membrane reactor for conversion of natural gas to aromatics
THE CHALLENGE
Converting methane into high value aromatics such as benzene remains commercially difficult despite strong demand in petrochemical markets and the need to monetize stranded natural gas. Current practice relies on indirect syngas based routes that require large capital investment, high energy input, and are only profitable at very large...
Published: 6/3/2026
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Updated: 6/3/2026
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Inventor(s): Mizanul Hoque, Sheima Khatib
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials
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Food-Grade Hydrophobic Polymer (FGHP) Based Microplastic Removal in Water
THE CHALLENGE
Across global water utilities and industrial treatment markets, the rapid rise in microplastic and nanoplastic contamination is creating a costly, unresolved operational problem that existing technologies cannot reliably solve. Current solutions, such as membrane filtration, adsorption systems, and chemical coagulation, struggle with...
Published: 4/23/2026
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Updated: 4/23/2026
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Inventor(s): Bipin Lade, F. Marc Michel
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials
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Controlled Synthesis of Poly(olefin sulfone)s
THE CHALLENGE
Poly(olefin sulfone)s (POSs) offer a uniquely tunable combination of high polarity, high glass transition temperatures, thermal and oxidative stability, and chemical robustness, enabling potential applications in semiconductor technologies, advanced battery components, high-performance gas-separation membranes, and next-generation engineering...
Published: 4/10/2026
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Updated: 3/26/2026
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Inventor(s): Anna Steele, John Matson, Diego Troya
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials
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Poly(phenylene sulfide) Gels and Aerogels
THE CHALLENGE
The key challenge in commercializing high-performance porous materials like poly(phenylene sulfide) aerogels lies in the complex, costly, and environmentally taxing manufacturing processes currently required. Traditional methods depend on toxic or high-boiling-point solvents and energy-intensive drying techniques such as supercritical...
Published: 1/29/2026
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Updated: 1/29/2026
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Inventor(s): Robert Moore, Garrett Godshall, Christopher Williams, Daniel Rau
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials
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Polyaryletherketone (paek) Gels and Aerogels
THE CHALLENGE
Developing lightweight high-performance aerogels from advanced polymers like PEEK and PEKK presents a major business and manufacturing challenge due to the complex and costly processing these materials require. Their exceptional thermal and chemical stability make them ideal for demanding applications in aerospace energy and environmental...
Published: 1/29/2026
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Updated: 1/29/2026
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Inventor(s): Robert Moore, Glenn Spiering, Michelle Pomatto
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials
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Polyester Gels and Aerogels
THE CHALLENGE
Polymer aerogels offer a unique combination of ultralow density, high porosity, and very low thermal conductivity, making them highly promising for industrial applications in energy storage, aerospace, filtration, and thermal insulation. Their lightweight and tunable mechanical properties give them an edge over traditional materials...
Published: 1/29/2026
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Updated: 1/29/2026
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Inventor(s): Robert Moore, Garrett Godshall
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials, Technology Classifications > Additive Manufacturing
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Polymer-Ionic Composites for Selective Sorption and Separations of Gases
THE CHALLENGE
The gas separation industry faces a pressing business and technical challenge: current technologies like amine scrubbing and solid adsorbents are too energy-intensive, corrosive, or inefficient for widespread, cost-effective deployment. Chemical solvents such as aqueous amines require high regeneration temperatures and frequent replacement...
Published: 5/19/2026
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Updated: 1/15/2026
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Inventor(s): Rebecca Martin, Louis Madsen, Nicholas Pietra
Keywords(s):
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemicals/Materials
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