Oxford Nanosystems Ltd Public Funding

Oxford nanoSystems (OnS) is developing a nanocoating technology for application on component surfaces to increase efficiency and lifespan for domestic products as well as automotive products. OnS aims to create a benefit to every member from the primary manufacturer to the end consumer while achieving reduced fuel consumption and promoting a greener economy. Newly deployed products incorporating this technology will add value so that society can take advantage of the financial, environmental, and efficiency benefits. OnS has done significant work in preparation which gives this project a high probability of success by assembling a well-rounded team and leveraging its networks and resources in terms of finances, knowledge, and support. This Industrial research project focuses on R&D to create a product that can be easily assimilated into the market.

**Oxford nanoSystems Ltd (OnS)** has developed nanoFLUX, a revolutionary nano-coating designed to optimize the efficiency of two-phase heat-exchangers. With a commitment to eco-friendly and cost-effective solutions, nanoFLUX introduces a highly porous coating that amplifies nucleation site density by over 10,000-fold, resulting in a remarkable increase in heat transfer efficiency by over 500%. This breakthrough technology, applicable to internal surfaces and micro-scale structures, surpasses conventional mechanical enhancements. Aligned with the UK's Net Zero commitment and the escalating demand for green hydrogen, OnS has directed its focus towards hydrogen generation via electrolysis. Our latest innovation targets the enhancement of alkaline water electrolysis (AWE), the most developed electrolysis method to date. By significantly improving the efficiency of the cathode, our technology promises to revolutionize hydrogen generation. Notably, the characteristics required to optimize electrolysers resemble those seen in enhancing heat exchangers through our coating technology. Utilizing an augmented nanoFLUX coating, we aim to amplify the surface area of the cathode and diminish overpotential through enhanced bubble nucleation and release. This approach dramatically increases catalytic sites and overall efficiency, presenting a unique and cost-effective solution unparalleled in the market. Our ground-breaking results have earned us immense interest from all global leaders in the hydrogen industry. We are under NDA 19 manufacturers due to the outstanding performance of our smaller-scale samples. However, achieving uniformity in our coatings for large industrial-size membranes and meshes poses a critical challenge. While we have developed chemical baths for large samples, ensuring coating quality remains a hurdle. Although shielding has proven effective for small samples, scaling up for very large samples presents a distinct challenge. With no off-the-shelf solution available, and limited resources for 3D simulations, an experimental approach is costly and unfeasible. In light of these challenges, we seek assistance from the STFC Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation, led by Ubaid Qadri and his expertise in 3D simulations. We hope that this collaboration will help us understand the field distribution and fluid agitation within the tank, ultimately developing uniformly coated surfaces. Our success in coating small test samples from industry giants underscores the urgency and potential impact of this project. Assistance from the STFC Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation will be instrumental in advancing our electrolyser coating product to the final stages of commercialization, driving us closer to our vision of a greener and more sustainable future.

Oxford nanoSystems Ltd (OnS) is a high-tech start-up that spent the past 6 years developing nanoFLUX -- a nano-coating which dramatically improves the efficiency of two-phase heat-exchangers, such as evaporators. Our core technology, nanoFLUX is a highly-porous coating that enhances evaporative heat transfer by significantly increasing the density of nucleation sites on a surface. Unlike mechanical and sintered enhancements, nanoFLUX can be applied to internal surfaces and intricate micro-scale structures. Looking towards future applications, we acknowledge the UK's drive for sustainable energy. There is a growing demand for electrolysers that produce green hydrogen for energy storage. We chose alkaline electrolysers (AWE) from the existing electrolysis methods. In contrast to PEM, AWE electrolysers do nor require expensive noble metal catalysts at the electrodes and can offer the potential to process saline water. OnS is focussing on AWE, because it is the most mature technology and we are able to substantially improve the efficiency of the process. In this project we used a hierarchical structure including nanoFLUX to enhance the cathode electrode. This reduces the reaction overpotential by enhancing bubble nucleation and release of hydrogen. As a result, more electrolysis reactions are possible and the efficiency of the whole system will be greatly enhanced. Currently there are no technologies on the market that can offer a low cost, easy applicable solution. We needed to quantify nanoFLUX performance in AWE hydrogen bubble formation in comparison to uncoated or SotA samples. To achieve this, NPL designed a flow cell test rig and provided independent measurements. This was supposed to enable OnS to offer our coating service to electrolyser manufacturers and thus providing the company with an additional revenue stream. The output of the project was a report detailing the performance and accelerated lifetime testing on the coating material in AWE application. NPL gained a test rig and expand the range of services it can offer. In this continuation project we will close the project. NPL's test rig is running and all the measurements from our A4i project an be completed. OnS will gain very interesting results from a research perspective. Also we will be able to approach our potential customers with a very attractive product. We are applying with strong support by NPL for a continuation in order to get to a point where we can fully exploit the results.

In 2019, the UK passed legislation requiring it to become a 'net zero' emitter of CO2 by 2050\. Analysis by BEIS and CCC shows the energy system will require significant amounts of low-carbon hydrogen (BEIS: 150-450TWh by 2050 and CCC 2020 report: "By 2050, a new low carbon industry is needed, with UK hydrogen production capacity of comparable size to the UK's current fleet of gas- fired power stations"). Oxford nanoSystems Ltd (OnS) believes it can make an important contribution towards enabling the green hydrogen economy. OnS is a high-tech start-up that spent the past 6 years developing nanoFLUX, a nano-coating which dramatically improves the efficiency of two-phase systems. Our goal is to enable the production of cheaper, and more efficient products which consume less energy, limit environmental impact and reduce costs for consumers. We acknowledge the UK's drive to push the new climate goals as reaffirmed by the Katowice Climate Conference 2018\. To reach those, innovative cutting-edge approaches need to be found, looking for future applications we acknowledge the UK's drive for sustainable energy. There is a growing demand for electrolysers that split water molecules and give pure hydrogen and oxygen for an electrical input. This need will increase because excess electrical energy from wind/solar can be stored in the form of hydrogen for future energy use. At the same time, it contributes to "Net Zero". In this project, Oxford nanoSystems will be aiming to improve alkaline water electrolysis (AWE), because it is the most developed to date from the existing electrolyser methods and we believe our technology is able to substantially improve the efficiency of the cathode and therefore the generation of hydrogen. The physical properties required to improve the efficiency of these electrolysers resemble those seen in improving heat exchangers through our coating technology. In this project we will use an augmented nanoFLUX coating to enhance the surface area of the cathode and reduce the overpotential through enhanced bubble nucleation and release. By doing this we will significantly increase the catalytic sites and efficiency will be greatly enhanced. No comparable technology on the market can offer a low cost, easily-applicable solution like our coatings. OnS has years of experience and its team of highly specialized experts in engineering and chemists have already worked on many successful IUK and BEIS projects.

Oxford nanoSystems Ltd (OnS) is a high-tech start-up that spent the past 6 years developing nanoFLUX -- a nano-coating which dramatically improves the efficiency of two-phase heat-exchangers, such as evaporators. Our core technology, nanoFLUX is a highly-porous coating that enhances evaporative heat transfer by significantly increasing the density of nucleation sites on a surface. Unlike mechanical and sintered enhancements, nanoFLUX can be applied to internal surfaces and intricate micro-scale structures. Looking towards future applications, we acknowledge the UK's drive for sustainable energy. There is a growing demand for electrolysers that produce green hydrogen for energy storage. From the existing electrolysis methods are two of interest: PEM and alkaline electrolysers (AWE). PEM electrolysers have certain advantages including compact size, the ability to deal with a variable/intermittent renewable power source and the purity/ pressure of the hydrogen generated. However, PEM electrolysers require expensive noble metal catalysts at the electrodes. Alkaline electrolysers use lower-cost materials (e.g. nickel electrodes) and can offer the potential to process saline water. The downside is the efficiency and performance are less than the PEM electrolysers. OnS will focus on AWE, because it is the most mature technology and we believe our technology is able to substantially improve the efficiency of the process. In this project we will use a hierarchical structure including nanoFLUX to enhance the cathode electrode. This will reduce the reaction overpotential by enhancing bubble nucleation and release of hydrogen. As a result, more electrolysis reactions are possible and the efficiency of the whole system will be greatly enhanced. Currently there are no technologies on the market that can offer a low cost, easy applicable solution. We need to quantify nanoFLUX performance in AWE hydrogen bubble formation in comparison to uncoated or SotA samples. To achieve this, NPL will design a flow cell test rig and provide independent measurements. This will enable OnS to offer our coating service to electrolyser manufacturers and thus providing the company with an additional revenue stream. The output of the project will be a report detailing the performance and accelerated lifetime testing on the coating material in AWE application. A further output will be a new test rig at NPL to allow testing of hydrogen bubble formation, and know-how in surface area measurements of coatings on substrates. This will allow NPL to expand the range of services it can offer.

Oxford nanoSystems Ltd (OnS) is a high-tech start-up that has developed a unique coating technology to improve the efficiency of heat transfer. OnS was founded in 2012 and has spent the past 5 years developing nanoFLUX; a nano-coating which dramatically improves the efficiency of two-phase heat-exchangers, such as evaporators. OnS focuses on the air conditioning and refrigeration markets, whose primary benchmark is to reduce the evaporator size to save environmentally damaging refrigerants and reduce production costs. Oxford nanoSystems acknowledges the UK's drive to push the new climate goals as reaffirmed by the Katowice Climate Conference 2018\. To reach those, innovative cutting-edge approaches need to be found, especially in an industry which is historically slow in adopting innovation. For this project Oxford nanoSystems is tackling one major area of application for its technology: heat exchangers for refrigeration systems. Global demand for cooling is constantly increasing with rising temperatures worldwide, but at the same time more energy efficient and environmentally friendlier solutions are desperately needed. OnS will adapt its coating technology for CO2 as refrigerant in cooling technology. CO2 is much less harmful for the environment than the commonly used fluorinated greenhouse gases, but poses some technological challenges. CO2 is generally considered the only sensible refrigerant for the future, because of its low Global Warming Potential of 1 (some common HFC refrigerants go as high as 11,700 times this). Throughout the whole cooling industry all efforts are made to switch completely to CO2\. OnS has a highly specialised team with many years of experience in cooling technology and is confident to be able to overcome these challenges and provide new solutions. With this project OnS will expand its product range more quickly, with the goal to set up a world class testing facility dedicated production line. OnS will be able to hire additional staff to make the project a success; meaning creating new world class thermal engineering and chemical science jobs in the UK.

Oxford nanoSystems Ltd (OnS) is a high-tech start-up located in Abingdon that has developed a unique coating technology to improve the efficiency of heat transfer. OnS was founded in 2012 and has spent the past 5 years developing nanoFLUX -- a nano-coating which dramatically improves the efficiency of two-phase heat-exchangers such as evaporators. Up to now, OnS has focused on the air conditioning and refrigeration markets, whose primary benchmark is to reduce the evaporator size to save environmentally damaging refrigerants and reduce production costs. Since our surface treatment can improve many different heat-transfer technologies we also branched out in other markets, i.e. electronic/ battery cooling and waste heat recovery. The world-wide thermal management market is huge (\> 9.6 B$) and of key interest to OnS. Looking into future applications Oxford nanoSystems acknowledges the EU's drive for higher energy efficiency in data centres. One of the largest problems is clearly the inefficiency of the cooling system. Improving electric cooling systems, for example in data centres or in electric cars is a main target when it comes to reaching the new climate goals as reaffirmed by the Katowice Climate Conference 2018. To reach those the whole electronic/battery unit needs to be more efficient to substantially expand their lifetime. In the last two years Oxford nanoSystems further improved their coating technology and developed MicroFlux, a pre-treatment of the heat exchanger surface preceding its coating with nanoFlux. In Innovate UK 133251 project 'MicroFlux' OnS successfully demonstrated micro-grooved surfaces which show extraordinary increases of heat transfer coeffiencies. OnS research team built various thermal test rigs to measure, among others, flow rates, the heat flux and efficiency rates. Our test rigs were used to determine durability and sustainability of our coatings. In this project Oxford nanoSystems seeks to get its testing facilities (thermal test rigs) validated by an independent organisation. To scale up our process from our very successful R&D environment to industrial scale, we need to take test protocol and standardisation of procedures to the next level.

no public description

Renewable energy sources in the electricity sector will reach a global share of 60% by 2040, while the global demand for cooling in 2060 will overtake demand for heating. If nothing is done emissions will rise of over 1 billion of tonnes per year while 100s of extra GW in demand will threat the supply of clean energy. Liquid air energy storage (LAES) provides a unique way to supply clean power and cold through liquefaction and vaporization of liquid air, which acts as an energy vector at -196°C. Cryogenic heat exchangers (C-HEXs) are crucial components in LAES and virtually in any cryogenic process; they dominate the performance of the whole-system, accounting up to 50% of the inefficiencies. CryoHex project aims to develop a transformative coating technology for the surfaces of C-HEXs which will revolutionize the performance, value and business case of LAES and of similar cryogenic processes. The outcome will be a coating material capable to enhance heat transfer by >200% under cryogenic conditions and to increase efficiency by reducing heat transfer ‘delta-T’ below 2°C. This disruptive change in performance will allow LAES to be the leading technology for storage of power and cold, bringing benefit to the whole UK cryogenic industry while facilitating the realization of a ‘cold economy’.

"Heat exchangers are used in a range of domestic and industrial applications from Air Conditioning, refrigeration and domestic heating, to chemical refinement and electricity production. Heat exchangers that boil a liquid are called two phase heat exchangers and are more commonly used in cooling applications. Currently, these heat exchangers are very inefficient at boiling fluids. To boil water at 100oC the heating surface of the exchanger has to reach 120oC and this inefficiency continues even when the liquid has started to boil. Microchannels are an interesting solution to these inefficiencies. Microchannels provide sites for bubbles to form on a surface and limit their size. This means that once the bubbles reach their maximum size they are forced off the surface and fresh, cool liquid fills the space. This increased rate of fluid replenishment allows the surface to be cooled more efficiently. Microchannels are not easily created as the techniques used to create them require open and flat surfaces and can be very time consuming. They can also be damaged in manufacturing which means they cannot be applied prefabrication. This makes them impractical for commercial use. microFLUX is a technology currently being investigated by Oxford nanoSystems as a method for improving the efficiency of these heat exchangers. microFLUX is a technique which allows channels, only a few hundred microns wide, to be cut into the internal surface of the heat exchanger. This overcomes the issues associated with microchannels and could allow them to be a real solution to the heat exchanger industry. The outcome of the microFLUX technology will be more efficient heat exchangers which are smaller, using less material in their construction, and consume less power to operate, reducing their carbon footprint. As global temperatures rise the amount of energy we use on cooling is expected to increase. microFLUX has the potential to minimise the impact this new demand will have."

TEHEx aims to transform the economics of waste heat recovery (WHR) for electricity generation by moving the calculation point of where low grade heat becomes economic, and to provide an enabling technology wherever 'boiling heat transfer' is used in energy processes. More efficient and lower cost heat exchangers would extend WHR growth to less economic sources and be an enabler for the vast resources of geothermal (the ‘Cinderella’ of renewables) and long-term the nascent river and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). A major UK company Heatric, exporting >£100m of world-beating heat exchangers, has identified Oxford nanoSystems as an SME with a unique coatings technology which could cement and grow the UK's lead in advanced heat exchange technology. Improved performance would allow Heatric to continue its recent strong growth in sales and employment and allow it to create new markets by the innovative combination of its unique 'Printed Circuit' heat exchanger design, ONS's 'boiling enhancement' coating technology and academic expertise from leading universities. Technology developed could find significant application in other areas of energy efficiency

Heat Pipes are vital to the thermal management of high performance silicon chips and are present in virtually every new laptop computer. Thermacore is a world leader in heat pipe technology and specialises in thermal management of high performance electronic devices such as for military applications. To protect and expand its position at the high end of the market, Thermacore Europe (TCE) and Oxford nanoSystems (ONS) have, with Brunel University (BU), identified an opportunity to improve the maximum heat flux of a heat pipe by replacing or augmenting the current internal evaporative cooling surface with a high performance nano-coating. The expected benefits including higher power, lower weight and lower cost will allow the UK to maintain its lead in this high value part of the electronics market and the partners to expand into new areas of heat and energy management.

Oxford nanoSystems (OnS) is developing a nanocoating technology for application on component surfaces to increase efficiency and lower costs for industrial heat exchange and the space programme. OnS aims to create a benefit to multiple industries including industrial waste-heat, geothermal and refrigeration, promoting a greener economy. Newly deployed products incorporating this technology will add value so that society can take advantage of the financial, environmental, and efficiency benefits.

Oxford nanoSystems (OnS) is developing a nanocoating for application for modern day systems to increase efficiency and productlife.OnS aims to create a benefit to every member from the primary manufacturer to the end consumer.Newly deployed products incorporating this technology will achieve reduced fuel consumption and promote a greener economy.

Oxford nanoSystems (OnS) is developing a nanocoating for application for modern day systems to increase efficiency and product life. OnS aims to create a benefit to every member from the primary manufacturer to the end consumer. Newly deployed products incorporating this technology will achieve reduced fuel consumption and promote a greener economy.

This study is to develop a nanocoating that will prevent corrosion and increase thermal conductivity in the primary heat exchanger of a condensing boiler. Boiler manufacturers assert that aluminium heat exchangers are the preferred material to be used because of its low manufacturing costs and high thermal conductivity properties. Unfortunately, the corrosion which results from burning domestic gas on untreated aluminium heat exchangers means other alternative heat exchangers are used by boiler manufacturers. As a result, many boilers ‘pre-heat’ the heat exchange surfaces (which wastes fuel) to avoid an unacceptable lag when the hot tap is turned on. The use of an aluminium exchanger with nanocoatings would reduce carbon emissions, and reduce production costs for manufacturers, and long term cost to end consumers.