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Newsletter 40

Dear all,

First and foremost, we wish you a very Happy New Year, full of support, success and achievements.

To start this year on a high note, we are delighted to share with you the program of the World Materials Forum's 8th edition which will take place in Nancy on June 16-18 2022 with an incredible range of partners and speakers.

As to this no 40, we see a deepened focus on critical materials: Indonesia aims to build a full EV supply chain industry (Nikkei Asia), China plans to secure its strategic supply of iron ore (News.com.au), Europe considers starting new deposit of rare earth in Sweden (Mining.com), the US review possibilities of improving waste recycling (Pennsylvania State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and also face some difficult choices for new mining of EV raw materials (Reuters) and finally the key messages of the latest Fitch report on global lithium market (Mining.com).

Further on the scientific front with a wide variety of innovations such as longer-lasting solid state batteries by Sandia National Laboratories, efficient catalyst for lower cost hydrogen production at Oregon State University, more efficient film solar cells based on abundant and low cost tin sulfide at Tohoku University, detection of quantum spin liquid at Cambridge University, using AI and electron density to predict materials properties in Nature, better heat transfer at interfaces for optimum power electronics at GeorgiaTech, 3D printed nanomagnets for new patterns of energy storage at Cambridge University and long data retention at 3,5 ns in next generation spintronics at Tohoku University.

Sustainability-wise, we spotted 4 surveys and initiatives: how AI and machine learning could make the renewable energy industry more competitive in Forbes, how hydrogen and recycling will play a central role in making low emission and profitable steel according to new Bloomberg report, a new tool to guide sustainable buildings design and construction developed by Northwestern University, and a demonstration in TechXplore that EVs are definitely more advantageous emission-wise than thermal vehicles, all scopes included.

And finally 17 of our WMF Start Up Alumni were in the news last month. Some great fundings (Carbios - France, ETS - USA, Kebotix - USA, Momentum Technologies - USA, Polystyvert - Canada, UBQ Materials - Israel) as well as interesting press coverage (BComp - Switzerland, Blackleaf - France, Brimstone Energy - USA, CompPair - Switzerland, Graphene MG - Australia, Kebotix - USA, Nitricity - USA, Sepion Technologies - USA, Twelve - USA, UbiQD - USA), an interview (Inopsys - Netherlands) and finally some promising partnerships (Demeta with Metton America Inc., Kebotix with Software for Chemistry & Materials, Twelve with Exosonic Inc.). And special mention to two of our Alumni, winners at the Hello Tomorrow Global Summit in early December: C12 Quantum Electronics (France) in the Computer & Communication Hardware category & Kebotix (USA) in the Data & AI category.

As always, we hope that you enjoy the reading.

The WMF Editorial Team.
Victoire de Margerie, Valentin Desbuis & Sélène Ciancioni

CRITICAL RESOURCES

Nikkei Asia, November 6th:
Indonesia aims to build full EV supply chain industry

News.Com.au, December 2nd:
China's plan to secure strategic supply of iron ore

Pennsylvania State University, December 17th:
Cobalt and manganese from by products of mining and metallurgy mine waste: evaluation of potential economic benefits

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, December 17th: Selective sulfuration as an alternative recycling method to recover rare earth

Mining.com, December 17th:
Norra Kärr deposit in Sweden could help make the EU self-sufficient in rare-earth metals

Reuters, December 22nd:
US faces tough choices in 2022 on mines for electric vehicle metals

Mining.com, December 24th:
Key messages of latest Fitch report on global lithium market

MATERIALS SCIENCES

Sandia National Laboratories, December 2nd:
New testing method yields pathway to better, longer-lasting solid state batteries

Quanta Magazine, December 2nd:
Detection of an elusive state of matter known as quantum spin liquid at Cambridge University

Oregon State University, November 10th:
Advanced catalysts for clean hydrogen production at lower cost

Nature, December 10th:
Using electron density to preduct Materials properties thanks to AI

Tohoku University, December 13th:
Higher conversion for film solar cells made with abundant and low cost tin sulfide

Tohoku University, December 14th:
Sub-5nm spintronic non-volatile memory technology confirms long data retention along with fast switching down to 3.5ns

Phys.org, December 21st:
Better heat transfer at Materials interfaces for Optimum management of power electronics at GeorgiaTech

University of Cambridge, December 23rd:
3D printed nanomagnets unveil a world of patterns for the generation of energy, for data storage and for computing

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES

Forbes, November 30th:
AI and machine learning to make the renewable energy industry more competitive

Green Car Congress, December 2nd:
Hydrogen and recycling to play a central role in making low emission and profitable steel according to new Bloomberg report

TechXplore, December 20th:
New tool to guide sustainable buildings design and construction

TechXplore, December 21st:
Advantage emissions-wise of EVs over thermic vehicles further demonstrated by study from Yale School of Environment

OUR START UPS ALUMNI ARE IN THE NEWS!

Bcomp (N 2018), December 3rd:
Bcomp invests in new Fribourg production facility

Blackleaf (N 2021), November 17th:
Blackleaf highlighted in this article : "Black leafs for a greener industry" (fr)

Brimstone Energy (Grand Prix 2020), December 3rd:
Brimstone Energy featured in this article : "Concrete Doesn't Have to Be an Ecological Nightmare"

Carbios (N 2017 - Grand Prix Scale Up 2021), December 22nd: The European Investment Bank is financing a €30 million loan for Carbios' enzymatic recycling technology to support circular economy

CompPair (N 2020), December 6th:
CompPair highlighted on Swiss national TV (fr)

Demeta (N 2019), December 7th:
Demeta signs partnership agreements with Metton America Inc. to accelerate the commercial deployment of its liquid molding resins.

Electrified Thermal Solutions (Coup de Coeur Award 2021), December 1st:
ETS selected to participate in Shell Gamechanger accelerator and decarbonize industrial processes

Graphene MG (N 2020), December 9th:
Graphene Manufacturing Group Commences Graphene Aluminium-Ion Battery Pilot Plant Operations

InOpSys (N 2021), November 30th:
Providing Circular Side Stream Solutions, interview with Inopsys founder & CEO

Kebotix (N 2019), November 30th:
Kebotix & SCM Partner to Advance Materials Innovation

Kebotix (N 2019), December 15th:
Kebotix earns EPA grant to develop safer pigments

Kebotix (N 2019), December 3rd:
Kebotix, Reinventing the materials industry with AI

Momentum Technologies (N 2019), December 15th:
Freestone, a portfolio company, signed a definitive agreement to lead a $20 million investment in Momentum to build and operate Li-ion battery and Rare Earth permanent magnet recycling plants.

Nitricity (Grand Prix 2021), December 14th :
The article "Catching Lightning in a Bottle with Nitricity" on the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) website

Polystyvert (Prix Coup de Coeur 2018), December 1st:
Canadian Government invests $2.7m in recycling firm Polystyvert

Sepion Technologies (Prix Coup de Coeur 2017), December 7th: Argonne-related spinoff company charges up the battery world

Twelve (N 2019), December 5th:
Twelve highlighted in this Guardian story on carbon transformation

Twelve (N 2019), November 29th:
Twelve works alongside Exosonic, Inc. to develop fossil-free jet fuel that is compatible with supersonic aircrafts

UbiQD (N 2020), December 9th:
Transparent solar panels to replace building windows (fr)

UBQ Materials (N 2021), December 15th:
UBQ Materials Raises $170M To Convert Waste Into Sustainable Plastic Substitute