NAWA Technologies creates US composites company

French company NAWA Technologies, a pioneer of next-gen energy storage systems, has created NAWA America – a company focused on industrializing advanced composite materials.

Based in Dayton, Ohio, NAWA America will bring to market multifunctional ultra-strong composites based on proprietary technology, aimed at sectors including automotive and aerospace.

NAWAStitch is a new materials concept that makes carbon fiber composites ultra-strong. A thin film of trillions of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT) acts as nano-velcro, reinforcing the weakest part of a composite: the interface between the layers, eliminating the probability that a crack will occur and also greatly improving strike damage resistance.

NAWA America has been created by the acquisition of the U.S. leader in VACNT for composite applications, N12 Technologies. Its immediate focus will be to bring NAWAStitch to mass markets.

Carbon fiber composites with NAWAStitch have their shear strength increased 100x and shock resistance 10x.

As well as continuing all N12 Technologies' activities, NAWA America has also established a research collaboration and license agreement with the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI), through the Multifunctional Structures and Materials Group of Dr. Paul Kladitis. It has also signed a field exclusive license agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), through Prof Brian Wardle's (NECSTLAB) research group.

Synergies already exist with NAWA Technologies. In France, it has independently created NAWAShell, a multifunctional composite materials concept. When applied as an integrated structural battery, it incorporates VACNT to give enhanced mechanical strength and electrical energy storage within the composite structure's core. In future, NAWA Technologies sees potential in combining NAWAStitch and NAWAShell to create ultra-strong, multifunctional lightweight materials that can also store energy, whether in a vehicle, airplane, building, or mobile device.

NAWA Technologies Founder, Chairman, and CTO Pascal Boulanger says, "The creation of NAWA America is a natural step for us. This move further cements NAWA Technologies as the leading specialist in VACNT – and the largest manufacturer of continuous industrial scaled VACNT. We also now have the expertise to bring two major applications of VACNT to a global market: ultra-strong composites and energy storage."

NAWA Technologies CEO Ulrik Grape says, "The creation of NAWA America means NAWA Technologies now covers virtually 100% of worldwide VACNT uses, a market worth $140 billion, expected to grow to $250 billion in 2025, across energy storage and composites.

"By combining existing expertise with that of NAWA Technologies and harnessing the huge potential of our relationships with the UDRI and MIT, we will be able to finalize NAWAStitch development and enter volume production in 2021. First markets will be sporting equipment, consumer products and luxury goods, while our longer-term focus is automotive and aerospace."