MIMSI revolutionizes thin films
MIMSI Materials has developed a breakthrough innovation in the field of transparent, electrically conductive thin films based on silver alloys, which play an important role in a lot of the products we rely on in our modern world. After several years of development, the Linköping company is set to launch its first exciting product – Alumenate™.
Did you know that all modern windows are coated with transparent, electrically conductive thin films, which help make them more energy efficient, thus reducing the climate impact? Smart phone touch-screens are also coated with a thin film.
Transparent, electrically conductive thin films are a key enabling technology in many of the products we use in our everyday lives, from energy-efficient windows to solar cells. However, the films we use today are not sufficient to meet the demands of climate change.
Linköping is home to the company MIMSI Materials, which has developed a ground-breaking innovation in the field of transparent, electrically conductive thin films that are based on silver alloys. The films not only deliver outstanding technical performance, they also significantly reduce the climate impact of products that use them.
“Our company is a product of the research performed at Linköping University. After several years of development efforts, we are now ready to launch our first product, Alumenate™, on the international market”, says Marketing Manager Tabea Schroth.
Advanced materials for a sustainable world
The company was already registered back in 2013, mainly to retain the patent rights on the basic concept developed by the company's founders, Sankara Pillay and Kostas Sarakinos. Since then, the basic concept has been developed over a period of several years. Tabea has now worked at MIMSI Materials for just over three years. She moved to Linköping from her native Germany to earn her master's degree in sustainable development.
“I have really enjoyed Östergötland and wanted to stay after my studies. After doing my practical thesis work in collaboration with MIMSI, I was hired. My background in finance and sustainability is a good complement to our international team and fits perfectly with MIMSI's vision of creating advanced materials to contribute to a more sustainable world”, she says and continues:
“Our transparent, electrically conductive thin films make different things possible, depending on the area of use. Our first product Alumenate™, for example, improves the energy performance of windows while increasing visible light transmission – two properties that previously could not be combined with the solutions that were available on the market. The target group for this product is window glass manufacturers”.
The company is also developing a product aimed at manufacturers of photovoltaic cell manufacturers, among others.
“It is an industry on the move, but it is facing major challenges. In order to be able to produce photovoltaic cells on a large scale, a lot of silver and indium is required today, more than we can provide given the earth's resources. I am convinced that our innovative solutions will be able to play a key role in making photovoltaic cells more efficient and that our innovations will lead to a brighter future”, says Tabea proudly.