MEET THE FORCES DRIVING THE FUTURE OF TECHNOlOGY

2026 TechConnect World
Critical Technology Spotlights

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Showcase Participants with Industry Area: Advanced Materials
360 Degree Engineering LLC (DBA:Optimuos)
Culver City, CA
optimuos.com/
MetaXLab - Integrated Design-to-Manufacturing Platform (SaaS)
MetaXlab is an end-to-end, AI-driven platform for material design, analysis, and characterization that integrates seamlessly into R&D and manufacturing workflows. It serves as a digital lab for material design and testing, creating digital twins that predict performance, manufacturability, and reliability under mission-relevant conditions, accelerating qualification and deployment of advanced materials.
Alpha-En Corporation
HOPEWELL JUNCTION, NY
alpha-encorp.com/
Direct Salt-to-Anode Manufacturing for Fully Domestic High-Energy Lithium Metal Batteries
Alpha-En’s Reductive Lithium Extraction is a one-step process that converts low-purity lithium salt directly into lithium metal used in stored power devices by the warfighter. The process operates inside a battery manufacturing facility and eliminates the need to stockpile reactive lithium metal, instead stockpiling inert lithium salts.
Apoello Limited
Eccleston, Chorley, Lancashire
www.apoello.com
DiaDEM: A Digital Discovery Platform for Organic Electronic Materials
A digital platform for the discovery of electronically-active organic molecules. Transform trial-and-error research into instant discovery, and reveal high-performance materials for organic electronics, solar energy, laser dyes, photocatalysis, imaging diagnostics, phototherapies and more.
Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health at the Unviersity of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
precisionhealth.nd.edu
BactiBlank (Anti‑adhesive, antibiotic‑free shield)
Antibiotic-free implant and surface coatings combine biomimetic Au/Ag–silica nanoparticles with polycationic copolymers to create hydrophilic, anti-adhesive surfaces. They suppress MRSA, E.coli, and Pseudomonas biofilms by preventing adhesion, not killing, while supporting biocompatibility. Optimal wettability correlates with superior performances. In vitro and pre-clinical in vivo validated.
BioBond Adhesives, Inc.
Lafayette, IN
biobond.com/
Biobased Two Part Adhesive-Metal to Metal, Glass to Glass, Wood to Wood, and Any Combination of Surfaces
Safer and Healthier adhesive with the performance of solvent based glues yet zero VOC's-odors, PFAS forever chemical and microplastics free at same or less price. Make In USA.
BioSqueeze Inc.
Butte, MT
www.biosqueeze.com
Rapid Expeditionary Biomineralization for Enhanced Land Stabilization (REBELS)
Biomineralization is driven by a natural soil bacteria – when applied to substrates such as sand the microbes adhere to surfaces and build crystalline calcium carbonate (CaCO3). As biocementation solution is added, the crystalline network grows and fuses structural connections between aggregates, resulting in strong cemented surfaces.
Ecoatex
Hull, GA
www.ecoatex.com/
Transforming Agricultural Waste into High-Performance, Biodegradable, and PFAS-Free Advanced Materials
Ecoatex develops scalable, bio-based materials from agricultural waste that address critical priorities in sustainable electronics, microsystems, and high-performance materials. By valorizing underutilized ag byproducts, our technology creates secure, biodegradable, and PFAS-free fibers, cellulose, lignin, composites, and coatings with applications across defense, electronics, textiles, and packaging.
Impact Innovations LLC
Nicholasville, KY
impactinnov8.com/
Durable, Non-Wetting Surface Solutions
Our innovation is a patent-pending, retrofit-ready non-wetting surface coating produced via low-cost, scalable fabrication. By sustaining high-efficiency dropwise condensation heat transfer and providing superior resistance to mineral and biological fouling, these surfaces provide measurable water and energy savings, higher operational efficiency, reduced downtime, and lower OPEX.
M1 Catalysts, Inc.
Chicago, IL
www.m1catalysts.com
Engineered amorphous aerogel catalysts for supercharged electrochemical processes
M1 Catalysts synthesizes novel aerogel alloy catalysts from common domestic metals that help energy systems work better and last longer. These catalysts are cheaper to make, easy to scale, and reduce dependence on foreign critical materials—making clean energy technologies like batteries and fuel cells more affordable and locally sourced.
Materials Sciences
Huntsville, AL
www.msc-llc.com/
Submerged Cure, Composite Patch for Hull Restoration
A novel, underwater curing, self-adhesive epoxy formulation and repair patch design guide to efficiently repair hull cracks in all hull material (aluminum, steel, GFRP, etc.) without the need for welding and/or dry-docking.
MEKONG UNIVERSITY
VINH LONG, Vietnam
mku.edu.vn/
Advanced Electromagnetic Wave Absorption (EWA) Materials for Stealth and Defense Technology
Large-scale, flexible, lightweight, porous carbon nanotube(CNT)-recycled plastic hybrid materials are produced continuously using a novel thermal bonding technology. This sustainable and cost-effective technology’s advantages are much energy saving, fast production and very low carbon footprint. Billion-dollar markets of the advanced EWA materials include stealth/defence applications, aerospace shielding, medical instruments etc.
SRI International
palo alto, CA
www.sri.com/
Infiltration-Free ceramic matrix composite
Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) are known for their thermomechanical strength and corrosion resistance, offering great potential for high-temperature energy harvesting applications. However, the traditional CMCs facing issues with their high cost (>$1,000/kg). SRI has developed a novel method that reduce the cost while retaining the performance.
Texas State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, TX
Rare-Earth-Free Magnets Via Field Assisted 3D Printing
A rare-earth-free magnetic filament made from strontium ferrite and a high-temperature thermoplastic is processed via magnetic-field-assisted 3D printing. Particle alignment during printing enhances magnetic performance, enabling lightweight, cost-effective bonded magnets suitable for electric motors, sensors, robotics, and energy systems without relying on rare-earth materials.
University of North Texas
Denton, TX
www.unt.edu
Adaptive “Chameleon” Coatings to Enable Multi-Environment Space-Ambient Functionality
The technology proposes a new coating concept with adaptive tribological materials that can alter their surfaces to accommodate broad and variable conditions of space environments and temperatures and minimize friction and wear across wide range of conditions. The coating technology can be applied to any surface of interest via spray-deposition.