OCSiAl

OCSiAl is a nanotechnology company headquartered in Leudelange, Luxembourg, focused on the industrial production and application of graphene nanotubes, commonly identified scientifically as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The company develops both the nanotubes themselves and formulated products that allow manufacturers to incorporate them into batteries, plastics, elastomers, coatings, composites, rubber products, textiles and other material systems. Its principal commercial brand is TUBALL. The company was established in Novosibirsk around 2009 or 2010 by Russian physicists Yuri Koropachinsky, Oleg Kirillov, Yuri Zelvensky and Mikhail Predtechensky. The name OCSiAl is formed from the chemical symbols for oxygen, carbon, silicon and aluminium. From its early research base, the company pursued a model that combined nanotube production with application laboratories, formulation development and technical support for industrial customers. OCSiAl’s value proposition is based on the ability of very small quantities of single-walled nanotubes to modify the electrical, mechanical, thermal and barrier properties of other materials. In battery formulations, nanotubes can function as conductive additives. In polymers, elastomers and coatings, they can provide electrical conductivity, antistatic performance, reinforcement or other functional effects while limiting the amount of additive required. The company markets high-purity nanotubes as well as concentrates and suspensions designed for more practical industrial processing. Regulatory authorization and production scale have been important turning points. OCSiAl registered its nanotubes under the European Union’s REACH framework in 2016, initially covering annual production and commercialization of up to 10 tonnes. The permitted volume was later increased to 100 tonnes annually in 2020. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a Significant New Use Rule covering OCSiAl products in 2019. These approvals supported wider commercial use of the company’s materials. The company expanded its technical infrastructure internationally. It opened an application and quality-control laboratory in Pudong, Shanghai, in 2019, covering battery, composite, polymer, elastomer and coating research. A further research laboratory opened in Foetz, Luxembourg, in October 2020, with work directed toward formulations, processing methods and production-system improvements. In October 2024, OCSiAl opened a production facility in Serbia with stated annual capacity of 60 tonnes and announced plans for an additional Serbian facility and a production hub in Differdange, Luxembourg. OCSiAl has attracted strategic and private investment as the market for advanced battery and composite materials has developed. It was described as a unicorn in 2019, and Daikin Industries invested in the company in 2021 to support lithium-ion battery-material development. In 2024, former Marvel Entertainment chief executive Peter Cuneo became chairman of OCSiAl’s board. The company remains focused on scaling graphene-nanotube production and expanding adoption across batteries, polymers, rubber, coatings, composites, smart textiles, packaging, electronics and industrial components.

OCSiAl emerged from a Russian scientific and engineering base in Novosibirsk around 2009 or 2010. Its founders were physicists Yuri Koropachinsky, Oleg Kirillov, Yuri Zelvensky and Mikhail Predtechensky. Rather than presenting nanotubes solely as a laboratory material, the company built its business around industrial-scale production and the development of formulations that could be processed by existing manufacturers. The corporate name combines the chemical symbols O, C, Si and Al. The company’s technology centers on single-walled carbon nanotubes, which OCSiAl also describes commercially as graphene nanotubes. These structures can form conductive networks at relatively low loading levels and can be incorporated into a variety of host materials. OCSiAl developed TUBALL nanotubes and related concentrates and suspensions for applications in lithium-ion batteries, thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, paints, coatings, composites, rubber and other industrial products. Recognition followed during the company’s expansion phase. In 2014, Frost & Sullivan gave OCSiAl a North American Technology Innovation Award for its SWCNT products. In 2015, the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative recognized the company in connection with the expansion of the iNanoComm matching-grant program, which supported research into nanotube applications. Regulation became a major part of the company’s commercialization strategy. OCSiAl registered its SWCNTs under the European Union REACH system in 2016. The initial registration permitted production and commercialization of up to 10 tonnes per year. The authorized annual volume was increased to 100 tonnes in 2020. In 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a Significant New Use Rule for OCSiAl products, providing a regulatory route for their commercialization in the United States. OCSiAl broadened its international research network in 2019 by opening a laboratory in Pudong, Shanghai. The site included application and quality-control capabilities for batteries, composites, polymers, elastomers and coatings. In October 2020, the company opened another research laboratory in Foetz, Luxembourg. That facility focused on material formulations, processing approaches and improvements to production systems. The company’s financing and valuation profile also changed as demand for advanced materials increased. OCSiAl became identified as a unicorn in 2019, with a valuation above one billion U.S. dollars. In 2021, Daikin Industries invested in the company, with the investment directed in part toward lithium-ion battery-material development. In 2024, OCSiAl appointed Peter Cuneo, formerly chief executive of Marvel Entertainment, as chairman of its board. That year it also opened a Serbian production site with reported annual capacity of 60 tonnes. OCSiAl announced plans for another Serbian facility and a production hub in Differdange, Luxembourg. Its continuing strategy is to expand nanotube capacity while moving beyond material supply into formulation engineering, customer qualification and application-specific solutions.

• 2024

  Serbian production facility opens

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  OCSiAl opened a Serbian production facility with reported annual capacity of 60 tonnes and announced additional planned capacity.

• 2021

  Daikin Industries investment

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  Daikin Industries invested in OCSiAl to support development of lithium-ion battery materials.

• 2020

  European authorized volume reaches 100 tonnes

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  The annual volume covered by OCSiAl’s European REACH authorization increased to 100 tonnes.

• 2020

  Foetz research laboratory opens

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  OCSiAl opened a Luxembourg research laboratory in Foetz to work on formulations, processing methods and production improvements.

• 2019

  Shanghai laboratory opens

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  OCSiAl opened a research and quality-control laboratory in Pudong, Shanghai, covering several nanotube application areas.

• 2019

  U.S. commercialization authorization

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a Significant New Use Rule covering OCSiAl products.

• 2016

  Initial European REACH registration

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  OCSiAl registered its nanotubes under the European Union REACH framework, initially authorizing annual production and commercialization of up to 10 tonnes.

• 2014

  Frost & Sullivan technology recognition

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  Frost & Sullivan recognized OCSiAl’s single-walled carbon nanotube technology with a North American Technology Innovation Award.

• 2009

  Company founded in Novosibirsk

  [1]OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org

  OCSiAl was founded in Novosibirsk by physicists Yuri Koropachinsky, Oleg Kirillov, Yuri Zelvensky and Mikhail Predtechensky. Sources place the founding in 2009 or 2010.

OCSiAl positions itself as a large-scale specialist in graphene nanotubes and as an applications partner for manufacturers seeking to add conductivity, antistatic behavior, reinforcement or other functional properties to established materials. Its differentiation rests on high-purity single-walled nanotubes, industrial production capacity, regulatory access and application laboratories supporting customer formulation and processing work.

• Single-walled carbon nanotubes

  TUBALL graphene nanotubes

  TUBALL is OCSiAl’s principal commercial nanotube platform. The material consists of high-purity single-walled carbon nanotubes, marketed as graphene nanotubes, that can create conductive networks and modify the mechanical or functional performance of host materials. Applications include lithium-ion battery electrodes, plastics, elastomers, coatings, composites, rubber components, tires, textiles and electronic products.

• Industrial material formulations

  TUBALL nanotube concentrates and suspensions

  These formulations disperse graphene nanotubes in carrier materials or compatible media so that manufacturers can introduce them into established production processes. OCSiAl supplies versions for battery materials, thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, paints, coatings and composites. The format is intended to simplify dispersion, dosing and integration compared with handling nanotube powder directly.

• 2021

  Strategic investment from Daikin IndustriesM&A

  Background

  Demand for conductive additives and other advanced materials was growing in lithium-ion battery development.

  Action taken

  Daikin Industries invested in OCSiAl to support further development of lithium-ion battery materials.

  Aftermath

  The investment linked OCSiAl’s nanotube technology with a major industrial materials group and battery-material development activity.

  Source

• 2019

  Expansion of international application researchStrategy

  Background

  OCSiAl sought to support customers across multiple material industries and geographic markets.

  Action taken

  The company opened a laboratory in Pudong, Shanghai, with application and quality-control work spanning batteries, composites, polymers, elastomers and coatings.

  Aftermath

  The Shanghai site strengthened the company’s technical support and formulation-development presence in Asia.

  Source

• 2016

  Pursuit of European regulatory authorizationStrategy

  Background

  Commercial use of engineered nanomaterials requires regulatory coverage and defined production limits.

  Action taken

  OCSiAl registered its single-walled carbon nanotubes under the EU REACH framework, initially covering up to 10 tonnes annually.

  Aftermath

  The authorization later expanded to 100 tonnes annually in 2020, supporting larger-scale European commercialization.

  Source

1. 1OCSiAlen.wikipedia.org
2. 2OCSiAl official websiteocsial.com