A&B Smart Materials

A&B Smart Materials is revolutionising cooling technologies through the development of novel smart hydrogels. Their passive cooling technology will transform many industries where thermal control is needed such as photovoltaic panels, EV batteries, electronic components, specialised clothing, and cosmetics.

Traditional cooling technologies are highly specialised, require high maintenance and are expensive. Due to overheating alone, solar farms worldwide are missing out on up to 25% of energy generation, directly impacting revenue potential. Their first novel hydrogel has the potential to increase energy generation by 5%, by absorbing atmospheric water at night and releasing it through daytime evaporation, cooling the solar panel during operating times.

With labs set up at the University of Oxford Begbroke Science Park, their first prototypes are undergoing testing and they are in the process of filing for a patent. They are due to launch a pilot with a large scale solar farm in the US.