This case study was sourced from the University of Leeds and featured as part of Universities UK Unis Start up the UK campaign.
The Process
Professor Helen Gleeson, who is Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Leeds’ School of Physics and Astronomy, founded university spin-out LC Auxetec after she discovered a material that is – uniquely – auxetic at a molecular level. Professor Gleeson came across the new material when she and her team were exploring the semi-soft elasticity of liquid crystal elastomers. It is the world’s first synthetic material that is auxetic at the molecular level, and its unintuitive properties mean it expands under pressure.
Professor Gleeson said:
“When we discovered that our materials were auxetic at the molecular level, we began to realise the opportunities that they could hold across a number of different industries as they can be stretched further than other materials already available.”
The Result
Her discovery attracted £2 million in seed investment funding from Northern Gritstone to kick-start its development. The start-up now has dedicated offices in the Nexus building on the University of Leeds campus. The novel auxetic polymer technology enables partners to make more sustainable products providing lightweight strength, durability and impact.
