Physics PhD, Nanotechnologist, Entrepreneur, Director, Advisor, Standards expert, Speaker - let me tell you about new and old technologies that impact our lives
UK and Poland
Joined March 2010
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Hydrogen nanobubbles boost methane yields in lignocellulosic anaerobic digestion (Bioresource Technology, Oct 29)
A new study shows hydrogen nanobubble water (H₂-NBW) increased cumulative methane yields 26.4–34.5% from Paulownia leaf litter versus controls. It accelerated volatile fatty acid turnover, improved buffering, raised hydrolytic enzyme activities 12.7–42.4%, and enhanced methanogenic coenzyme F420 signals. Multi-omics linked the gains to microbial metabolic and transcriptional responses, plus possible physicochemical effects of the nanobubbles themselves.
Nanobubbles remain a low-chemical, scalable tool for gas transfer and interfacial chemistry; real-world reactor stability and economics will decide commercial uptake in biogas or wastewater applications.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4295…
#Nanobubbles #FineBubbles #Nanotechnology #Biotech #ScientificDiscovery
Group14 closes ~$169M Series D extension for silicon battery materials, plans Spain plant
Group14 Technologies raised ~$169M (€150M) as a Series D extension (total Series D now >$665M; cumulative funding ~$1.26B). Capital supports expansion of its SCC55 silicon-carbon anode material and a new 10 GWh facility (BAM-4) in Sagunto, Spain (production targeted mid-2029). Near-term global footprint reaches ~40 GWh across Korea, Washington state, and Europe. Material is already shipping to consumer-electronics customers, with automotive and data-center applications in focus.
Higher energy density and faster charging are the claimed advantages over graphite; geographic diversification and customer qualification are the execution tests.
Source: geekwire.com/2026/seattle-ar…
#AdvancedMaterials #BatteryTech #DeepTech #Investment #EnergyStorage
NVision shows manufacturable molecular qubits via OLED-style deposition (Nature, Oct 28)
German startup NVision published in Nature the first individually addressable organic molecular spin-photon interface (a designed carbene molecule). AI screened hundreds of candidates; ~40 were synthesized. The molecules can be deposited as thin films (analogous to OLED manufacturing) onto conventional photonic chips. Partnership with HyperLight targets integrated prototypes. Coherence reached 2.2 ms under dynamical decoupling at 4.5 K. The company has raised ~$120M and aims to build full systems rather than sell molecules alone.
Existing foundry and display infrastructure is the practical lever; cryogenic requirements and on-chip performance remain open questions.
Source: reuters.com/technology/germa…
#QuantumComputing #Nanotechnology #AdvancedMaterials #Startups #AI
NanoForge AI raises ~$11M seed for AI-driven materials design + robotic lab
Korean startup NanoForge AI closed a KRW 14.6 billion (~$11M) seed round led by Mirae Asset Venture Investment (with DSC, KDB, EcoPro Partners, and others). It uses AI to predict and design materials, targeting a reduction in development timelines from >10 years to ~1 month. Funds will expand electronic-structure prediction and an autonomous robotic lab that synthesizes, analyzes, and feeds data back into the models. Collaborations already include EcoPro BM and Samsung Electronics; IP generation in semiconductors and batteries is an explicit goal.
The bet is closed-loop AI + robotics, not just prediction. Execution and IP quality will determine whether the timeline claim holds.
Source: en.wowtale.net/2026/10/30/23…
#AIMaterials #Startups #DeepTech #IntellectualProperty #MaterialsScience
AI rediscovers 33 overlooked MXenes and synthesizes 11 new ones (Science, Oct 29)
Researchers at Linköping University (with Estonian and Finnish collaborators) used AI to mine materials databases, identifying 33 previously synthesized but unrecognized MXene candidates. They then produced 11 new rare-earth-based compositions. A new self-propagating method yields the ultrathin 2D materials in seconds at room temperature with far less heat, hazardous chemicals, and water.
This is a practical demonstration that AI can surface “forgotten” materials already in the literature while enabling greener, faster synthesis—useful for energy storage, electronics, and catalysis. Scaling the process is the next clear bottleneck.
Source: nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-…
#AIMaterials #Nanotechnology #MXenes #AdvancedMaterials #MaterialsDiscovery
No words can describe the loss this civilisation suffered with the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart.
🤖 Made with AI
Formation Bio $600M AI drug-development accelerator fund
Formation Bio (AI-native pharma, previously valued ~$1.7–1.8B) launched a $600M fund to acquire and advance 10–15 Phase 1–2 drug programs over 3–5 years. It pairs dedicated capital with its AI platform and clinical operations in a hub-and-spoke NewCo structure, aiming to cut development costs 30–50% by addressing the post-discovery bottleneck.
Source: axios.com/2026/10/29/formati…
#AIDrugDiscovery #Biotech #Startups #VentureCapital #IntellectualProperty
Nanobubbles advancing direct lithium extraction
One World Lithium completed delivery of custom Moleaer industrial nanobubble generators to labs at UC Irvine and University of British Columbia. The equipment supports R&D on their patent-pending single-step Direct Lithium Carbonation Extraction (DLCE) process using CO₂ nanobubbles to produce lithium carbonate from brines, with a field pilot planned for early 2027.
Source: mining.com/one-world-lithium…
#Nanobubbles #Lithium #AdvancedMaterials #CriticalMinerals #Startups
MIT modular nanoparticle platform for personalized cancer vaccines
MIT engineers created a modular platform using modified M13 bacteriophage nanofibers that can be coated with controlled densities of cancer antigens. In mice, optimized versions prevented tumor development and generated stronger T-cell responses. The approach is designed to be patient-specific by swapping antigens.
Source: news.mit.edu/2026/mit-engine…
#Nanotechnology #CancerVaccines #AdvancedMaterials #Biotech #ScientificDiscovery
Physical Intelligence (physical AI / robotics foundation models)
Physical Intelligence is in talks to raise at least $1B at a ~$20B valuation (nearly double prior), led by existing backers Avenir and Lux Capital. Pre-revenue, it builds vision-language-action models that power robots across hardware for real-world tasks and recently opened an API beta for developer fine-tuning.
Source: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
#PhysicalAI #Robotics #AIStartups #VentureCapital #FoundationModels
A new £7.125 million UK funding opportunity has opened for digital advanced-materials innovation.
Announced on 29 October by UK Research and Innovation, the programme focuses on Materials 4.0: connecting materials research with AI, automation, digital twins, advanced characterisation and interoperable data.
ukri.org/opportunity/nmip-sa…
Between three and eight collaborative projects are expected to receive funding, with project durations of up to 33 months.
The opportunity is open to eligible UK research organisations, with industry participation encouraged.
Expressions of interest close on 26 November 2026 at 16:00 GMT.
Conclusion: Materials informatics and digital infrastructure are becoming central priorities in translating advanced materials into commercial products.
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Researchers have synthesised a new two-dimensional titanium-boride material using molten-salt chemistry.
Published on 29 October in Advanced Materials, the work demonstrates the production of multilayer Ti₂B₂Clₓ, part of the emerging MBene family.
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley…
The researchers selectively removed indium from Ti₂InB₂ using molten ZnCl₂ while introducing chlorine surface terminations.
In-situ X-ray diffraction and theoretical calculations supported the proposed direct transformation mechanism.
Preliminary electrochemical testing also indicated promising lithium-storage behaviour.
Conclusion: The family of experimentally accessible two-dimensional materials continues to expand beyond graphene and MXenes.
Further work is needed on material properties, production scale and industrial applications.
🤖 Made with AI
Researchers have reported a solid-state lithium-metal pouch cell achieving 515 Wh/kg energy density.
Published on 29 October in Advanced Materials, the study introduces a fluorinated polymer electrolyte containing poly(ionic liquid) components.
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley…
The material creates improved lithium-ion transport pathways while stabilising the lithium-metal interface.
At 30°C, ionic conductivity reached 0.38 mS/cm, with a lithium-ion transference number of 0.77.
Experimental Li||NCM90 cells retained approximately 81% capacity after 600 cycles.
Conclusion: Polymer-electrolyte engineering remains a promising route towards higher-energy solid-state batteries.
Industrial lifetime, manufacturing yield and full-cell safety qualification still require validation.
Researchers have demonstrated an individually addressable molecular spin qubit with an optical interface.
Published on 28 October in Nature, the study uses a specially designed carbene molecule embedded in a compatible crystal.
nature.com/articles/s41586-0…
At 4.5 K, the system demonstrated approximately 2.2 ms spin coherence and 21 ms spin relaxation, together with stable optical behaviour.
On the same day, NVision announced a partnership with HyperLight to explore integration of molecular qubits with photonic integrated circuits.
Conclusion: Molecular chemistry could become a powerful tool for engineering quantum hardware, potentially complementing semiconductor-based qubit technologies.
Manufacturing scalability and useful quantum-computing performance remain future objectives.
Scientists have identified a previously undescribed class of extracellular vesicles associated with cancer-cell migration.
Published on 28 October in Nature Cell Biology, the study describes motile vesicles, or MoVes, measuring approximately 2–5 micrometres.
Unlike conventional small EVs, these structures form during retraction of the trailing edge of migrating cancer cells.
nature.com/articles/s41556-0…
They contain genomic DNA, mitochondria and other cellular components.
Remarkably, their mitochondrial cargo can influence energy metabolism in recipient cells.
Conclusion: EV biology extends beyond small exosomes. Different vesicle populations may carry fundamentally different biological information.
The discovery also highlights the need for orthogonal particle-characterisation methods.
IIT Ropar: Nanobubbles Improve Paracetamol Crystallization Yields Up to 65%
Bulk nanobubbles (150–200 nm, generated from O₂/N₂/CO₂) accelerate nucleation, reduce crystal size, and raise yields in cooling/antisolvent crystallization of paracetamol without added hazardous chemicals. Demonstrates a cleaner, more efficient path for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
researchmatters.in/news/nano…
#Nanobubbles #Nanotechnology #Pharma #AdvancedMaterials #ScientificDiscovery
OpenAI Reportedly Plans to Buy Google TPUs (Beyond Nvidia)
Reports indicate OpenAI intends to purchase Google’s Tensor Processing Units to diversify compute supply. This follows earlier TPU rental testing and hiring for TPU optimization, signaling a pragmatic shift toward multi-vendor silicon strategy amid tight supply.
reuters.com/business/openai-…
#AI #Semiconductors #OpenAI #GoogleTPU #TechStrategy
Microsoft Azure Hits $33.2B (+48% YoY); Total Revenue $92.3B
Azure’s first full dollar disclosure shows strong AI-driven cloud demand, outperforming guidance. Free cash flow also beat expectations, offering evidence that AI infrastructure spending is converting into revenue growth even as CapEx remains elevated.
reuters.com/business/retail-…
#AI #CloudComputing #Microsoft #TechInvesting #DataCenters
Formation Bio Launches $600M AI Drug Development Accelerator Fund
The AI-native pharma company (backed by Altman and others) raised a dedicated $600M fund to acquire and advance 10–15 Phase 1–2 drug programs via NewCos, pairing capital with its AI platform, translational models, and clinical ops. It targets the development bottleneck after discovery accelerates.
formation.bio/blog/introduci…
#AI #Biotech #Startups #DrugDevelopment #VentureCapital
Anthropic IPO Filing: Explosive Growth Meets Massive Compute Costs
Anthropic’s S-1 shows revenue up ~1,368% in one quarter (to multi-billion levels) alongside an $80.7B H1 net loss (largely non-operating) and $600B+ compute commitments. Valuation talk centers on $1.5–2T; Aswath Damodaran models ~$1.475T equity value. This is the clearest public test yet of AI-scale economics.
reuters.com/legal/transactio…
#AI #Anthropic #TechInvesting #IPO #AIEconomics
