Lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, and water filtration systems form the backbone of today’s clean technology push, but their performance is still throttled by limitations in thin-film coatings.
These films, essential for power output, durability, and efficiency, often suffer from uneven structure, poor porosity, and manufacturing inefficiencies.
A new breakthrough promises to tackle these constraints without rewriting the chemistry, offering a smarter way to squeeze more out of the same materials.
Moleaer Inc., A U.S.-based company headquartered in Hawthorne, California, and a global leader in nanobubble technology, has unveiled a patent-pending thin-film breakthrough that could significantly boost the efficiency of lithium-ion batteries, PEM fuel cells, green hydrogen systems, and water filtration membranes.
While offering high-impact performance gains, the technology is not without limitations, particularly around manufacturability and scale-up.
The innovation integrates nanobubbles directly into the thin-film fabrication process, improving porosity, mixture dispersion, and structural integrity.
Nanobubbles change the game
These films are critical components in energy and water systems and find use in multiple systems, including ultrafiltration membranes, catalyst layers in hydrogen electrolyzers, and electric vehicle batteries.
The new, non-invasive method introduces billions of nanobubbles into liquid coatings during production.
These bubbles optimize pore size distribution, stabilize inks, and improve layer uniformity, producing films with consistent and controllable porosity and particle sizes.
The effects are tangible across sectors.
Ultrafiltration membranes saw up to a 66% increase in water permeability due to higher surface and cross-sectional porosity without compromising water quality or structural integrity.
This could significantly cut the energy footprint of industrial and municipal water treatment systems.
In PEM fuel cells, the nanobubble-enabled method increased power output by up to 20% from the same active area, allowing for more compact and cost-effective systems for vehicles and portable applications.
Hydrogen generation through PEM water electrolyzers saw a 17% improvement in current density at operational voltages. This means reduced electricity consumption per kilogram of hydrogen, which is an important milestone for the economic viability of green hydrogen.
Cleaner tech, stronger output
In the case of lithium-ion batteries, the enhanced thin films enabled faster charging, improved capacity retention, and better performance at high C rates, benefits that support longer battery lifespan and better performance under demanding conditions.
“Thin films are foundational to clean energy and water technologies, yet traditional manufacturing methods limit how much performance we can unlock from them,” said Nick Dyner, CEO of Moleaer. “Our nanobubble-enabled process addresses those limitations, without changing formulas or processes, delivering gains in power, efficiency, and sustainability.”
The process has been independently validated and peer-reviewed, showing that nanobubbles can be introduced with precision into existing production lines.
This approach doesn’t require major process overhauls, making adoption simple for manufacturers.
“Nanobubbles act like invisible scaffolding,” said Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman, Senior R&D Application Engineer at Moleaer. “They improve how materials self-organize during fabrication, leading to higher-performing films with less waste and fewer defects.”
As the demand for clean energy and water technologies surges, this innovation offers a scalable and cost-effective solution. Moleaer plans to commercialize the technology through partnerships with leading membrane and energy companies.
