Advanced Materials

UC Berkeley intellectual property spinouts commercializing innovations in ADVANCED MATERIALS.

Silicor Materials, Inc.

Brief Description

Silicor Materials was a global leader in the production of solar silicon. The company was headquartered San Jose, California, with a research and development team located in Berlin, Germany.

The organization was founded as a development company in 2006 under the name Calisolar, with the goal of manufacturing low-cost photovoltaic (PV) solar cells from silicon designed specifically for the solar industry (“solar silicon”) rather than electronic-grade polysilicon. Among the company's founding members was solar energy pioneer UC Berkeley Professor of Materials Science...

Setex Technologies

Brief Description Setex Technologies is the leading manufacturer of gecko-inspired, dry adhesive solutions, offering innovative products that surpass traditional adhesives, gripping materials, and fasteners. Our Setex™ products empower product designers and engineers in both B2B and B2C sectors to create unique, first-to-market designs and address complex manufacturing challenges, enhancing both top-line and bottom-line performance. Founded in 2009 by Dr. Metin Sitti, a Carnegie Mellon University professor, nanoGriptech (now Setex Technologies) has built its expertise through nearly a...

RHA Technology, Inc.

Brief Description

The company was founded to develop sustainable, eco-friendly concrete composed of rice hull ash (RHA). RHA Technology, Inc. was born out of technology developed in the lab of UC Berkeley Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Povindar Kumar Mehta, who invented techniques for energy saving and waste material utilization in the manufacture of cement. Dr. Mehta was a world expert in the development of "green concrete."

Inventors

Povindar Kumar Mehta

Quick Flash Technologies

Brief Description Electrochromic Solutions.

Manufacturer of manually controlled transition lenses intended to protect eyesight. The company's product offers color-changing sunglasses that have lenses which will allow users to adjust the shade of sunglasses with e-tint technology and with a light sensor to control the electricity applied to the lenses, enabling long-term drivers and outdoor workers to quickly adjust the depth of the mirror in any condition for any light.

The company also has a product line of dynamic, energy-saving smart windows designed to change transparency based...

Kynikos Technologies, Inc.

Brief Description

Producing pre-lithiated graphite from recycled lithium-ion batteries. The company was born out of technology invented by researchers at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories.

Inventors

Abraham Anapolsky, Gao Liu, Andrew Minor, Julian Sabisch

Timeline 2016. Company founded

Kaiwood Technologies

Brief Description

Functionally integrated microanalytical system for performing fluorescence spectroscopy via fluorescence-excition radiation, typically from an LED, integrated onto a substrate along with a photodetector an an optical filter.

Inventors

J. Alex Chediak, Nathan Cheung, Luke Lee, Zhongsheng Luo, Timothy Sands, Jeonggi Seo

Timeline 2003. Company founded

Izote Biosciences

Brief Description

Producing bioplastics through aerobic microbial processes.

Inventors

John Coates

Timeline 2022. Company founded

Intropic Materials

Brief Description

Intropic Materials is developing truly compostable plastic and other self-degrading products that can be composted or perfectly recycled. The company combines the performance of proteins with a patented stabilization technology to build better materials that address the world's plastic waste problem.

Enzymes are nature’s chemists. They handle the reactions that let life happen, can be engineered for our purposes, and can even break down plastics! However they tend to struggle outside of their comfort zone, the cell. This limits our ability to use them in...

Huue

Brief Description

The fashion industry is one of the most environmentally damaging in the world.

Huue's mission is to spread our sustainable indigo dyeing strategy and revolutionize the denim supply chain.

Formerly known as Tinctorium.

Inventors

Arthur Fong, Bernardo Cervantes, John Dueber, Luke Latimer, Ramya Prathuri, Shyam Bhakta, Tammy Melody Hsu, Terry Johnson, Zachary Russ

Timeline 2019. Company founded.

Flux Technology

Brief Description

Developer of high selectivity composite membranes intended for chemical separations. The company's technology improved polymer membrane stability and performance by incorporating metal-organic frameworks. The membranes offered improved carbon dioxide selectivity and permeance, as well as increased robustness under harsh feed conditions, enabling clients to maximize product recovery and reduce operational footprint.

The company was co-founded by UC Berkeley Professor of Chemistry Jeffrey Long and a PhD student in his research group, Jonathan Bachman....