Immaterial, a spin-out company founded by the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology’s Professor David Fairen-Jimenez, has opened a pilot manufacturing facility in Sawston, just south of Cambridge.
The opening of the facility marks a milestone in the translation of advanced materials research into industrial production, enabling the company to manufacture its proprietary metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) at scale for customers worldwide.
Immaterial builds on more than 15 years of research from the Adsorption and Advanced Materials Laboratory at CEB. The company develops advanced metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of porous materials whose importance was recognised with the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Their crystalline structures grant MOFs extremely large surface areas relative to their mass. More surface area means more adsorption of molecules such as carbon dioxide.
Immaterial creates MOFs in monolithic structures designed for industrial applications such as carbon capture, hydrogen storage and air purification.
This facility represents much more than a new manufacturing site. It's the culmination of a journey that started with fundamental research in our laboratory &
has grown into a company of more than 45 scientists & engineers. bridging the gap between academic discovery & real-world deployment. Seeing technologies
has grown into a company of more than 45 scientists & engineers. bridging the gap between academic discovery & real-world deployment. Seeing technologies
developed in Cambridge move from the laboratory bench to industrial production is incredibly rewarding,
Professor David Fairen-Jimenez
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge
The event was also attended by representatives from industry and the University, among them Head of Department Professor Clemens Kaminski.
“Immaterial is exactly the kind of brilliant, real-world chemical engineering that our students should be studying. It’s an incredibly impressive facility, and it makes me really proud to see our academics doing such groundbreaking work”Professor Clemens Kaminski, Head of Department
The work of David and the team demonstrates how world-leading science at CEB can be translated into technology that addresses some of society's most pressing challenges, from climate change to the energy transition.
Read the full Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge article
Image credit: Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
Learn more: Immaterial