University of Manchester

Molymem

Molymem is a spin-out from the University of Manchester, with a focus on developing ceramic ultra-filtration (UF) and nano-filtration (NF) membranes enabled through its proprietary 2D nanomaterial coating. The membrane products serve drinking, wastewater and desalination pre-treatment markets. IDTechEx spoke with Dr Donnchadh Barry, Technical Manager.

Holiferm

Holiferm is a UK-based biotechnology firm (founded in 2018, Birkenhead) that develops and manufactures sustainable, plant‑based biosurfactants via fermentation. Their patented technology produces sophorolipids at commercial scale (≈1.1-1.6 kT/year), supporting personal care, cleaning, agricultural, and textile applications while reducing CO₂ and petrochemical reliance.

AssetCool

AssetCool are a Leeds-based start-up. It has developed several powerline coating technologies and powerline coating application robots.

Graphene Turns Twenty and Celebrates by Going Commercial

2024 has marked the 20th anniversary of the original isolation of graphene, first achieved at the University of Manchester in 2004, prior to the award of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. In the two decades since its isolation, graphene has been the subject of immense hype, labeled as a wonder material with superlative properties capable of enabling society-shifting technologies.

Graphene at The Advanced Materials Show 2024

The Advanced Materials Show was held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, UK on 15th and 16th May 2024. The event was co-located alongside the Advanced Ceramics Show, the Battery Cells & Systems Expo and the Vehicle Electrification Expo. In total, three IDTechEx analysts attended the conference to cover a range of the topics on display. The focus of this event summary will be the graphene industry, covered extensively by IDTechEx for over a decade. Graphene was first isolated at the University of Manchester and so there are many important players based in the UK, with the majority exhibiting at the event, either via booths or presentations. 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the original isolation of graphene, and this was celebrated at the event.