polymer-science
(2)
Ares Materials, Inc.
Ares Materials is a Plano, Texas advanced-materials company building AI-designed optical polymers for the display industry. Spun out of the University of Texas at Dallas in 2016, it uses thiol-click chemistry and a machine-learning platform called Pylux to formulate solvent-free, PFAS-free films, adhesives, coatings and cover windows for foldable phones, AR/VR devices and other flexible electronics - aiming for high optical clarity, mechanical durability and up to 90% lower CO2 emissions than incumbent materials.
Fluid Efficiency
Fluid Efficiency is a Caltech spin-out that builds MegaSupraMolecules (MSMs), self-assembling polymers that change how fluids move. Its flagship product is a removable drag-reducing agent for natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines - a fluid class where conventional drag reducers can't be used because leftover polymer fouls downstream fractionation equipment. By letting the additive be removed before sensitive processing, Fluid Efficiency helps midstream operators push more volume through existing pipelines without building new ones. The same polymer platform also reduces fuel misting (and the explosion risk that comes with it), improves lubricant viscosity, and aids long-distance pumping of crude and refined products.