Ohio-based Peak Nano's new patents enable smaller, more efficient capacitors with 4x higher energy density and 5x longer lifecycles for power grid and defense applications.
Peak Nano has secured two US patents that position American manufacturers to advance high-performance capacitor film technology. The breakthrough addresses supply chain vulnerabilities while delivering performance improvements for power grid, defense, and emerging fusion energy applications.
The Ohio-based producer of polymer nanoscale metamaterials announced the patents as it prepares to launch the nation's first domestic facility for polymer capacitor film production in early 2026. Peak Nano said this move will establish it as America's sole source for domestically manufactured biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films — materials currently available only from overseas suppliers.
Peak Nano's first patent, US12427754B2, protects the company's corona-treated multilayered high dielectric constant (HDC) film technology. The company said this nanolayer architecture delivers four times higher energy density than current state-of-the-art BOPP materials. The advancement enables engineers to design capacitor banks up to two times smaller while reducing both cost and system complexity.
The breakthrough, the company said, lies in surface modifications optimized for metallization, tighter winding, and seamless integration in wound metallized capacitors. These innovations address longstanding industry challenges that have limited performance and reliability.
Peak Nano's second patent, US12119180B2, covers the company's low dissipation factor (LDF) film technology. The company said its low-loss, high-temperature capacitor solution maintains full energy capacity up to 135°C without derating — exceeding the 85°C limit of industry-standard BOPP materials.
With a 50% lower dissipation factor than traditional BOPP film, LDF technology minimizes self-heating and thermal stress. According to the company, this extends capacitor lifecycles by up to five times while reducing the need for cooling infrastructure and capacitor redundancy. The result, it explained, is improved reliability in power-intensive environments, including fusion reactors, data centers, and defense applications.
"Through rigorous third-party validation, these patents demonstrate a significant leap forward in capacitor film design," said Dr. Michael Ponting, chief science officer at Peak Nano. "With innovative polymer architecture at the nanoscale, our technologies eliminate the key shortcomings of legacy materials, resulting in films that provide enhanced energy storage, operational longevity, and durability."
The timing, the company said, proves critical as China continues filing more patents for grid technology than any other nation. Peak Nano's expanded intellectual property portfolio — now encompassing more than 20 global patents — represents a step forward in US scientific innovation and energy leadership.
Peak Nano's domestic manufacturing approach addresses growing concerns about supply chain security in critical infrastructure sectors. Ponting said that by producing both patented high-temperature NanoPlex films and industry-standard BOPP materials domestically, the company will provide OEMs, system integrators, and public-sector buyers with reliable US-made alternatives.
Ponting emphasized that Peak Nano's NanoPlex products will be price-competitive with BOPP-C, PEN, and other dielectric-grade products they compete against.
"We recognize that power applications we support, such as power grids, data centers, EVs, fusion energy, and defense, are looking for solutions that offer increased capabilities at price points that do not disrupt the market and supply chain model that exists today," they said.
Peak Nano's advanced polymer films target growing demand across multiple high-stakes sectors. These include power grid modernization, electric vehicle infrastructure, aerospace systems, and emerging fusion energy projects. The company said its AI-powered design capabilities, and nanolayered technology platform position it to address evolving performance requirements in these rapidly expanding markets.
With commercialization scheduled for early 2026, Peak Nano said it aims to foster new licensing and co-development opportunities. This approach gives customers greater confidence to explore and validate American-made solutions for critical applications.
Further, the company said its strategy combines materials science with domestic manufacturing and secure supply chains from allied nations. This, it added, directly supports US energy independence initiatives while strengthening national security capabilities.
Peak Nano's NanoPlex capacitor film products are produced through a combination of commercial coextrusion and film handling technologies. Ponting said these are modified with in-house designed and fabricated custom nanolayering tooling, according to Ponting.
The company's facility expansion in Ohio will house production lines for two current NanoPlex capacitor film products:
"The beauty of the nanolayered approach to producing NanoPlex capacitor films lies in our technology's ability to leverage industrial capacitor film high-volume processing equipment, like capacitor film BOPP production lines, with only a retrofit required of our in-house nanolayer tooling," Ponting explained.
This approach, according to the Ponting, enables Peak Nano to leverage existing state-of-the-art biaxial cast film production line technology. By combining it with the company's proprietary layering tooling and formulation expertise, he said said the company can rapidly innovate and scale to industry-relevant million-pound-per-year production volumes at speeds equivalent to building a traditional BOPP capacitor film line facility.
Ponting explained that a key milestone in developing and launching the Peak Nano NanoPlex capacitor film products was ensuring a reliable, high-performance, and cost-effective supply chain for raw materials and key equipment suppliers.
"The specialty nature and stringent requirements of the materials, and the sensitivity of the coextrusion and biaxial manufacturing process to produce electrical capacitor film, forced us to concentrate early on identifying and qualifying suitable supply chain partners to move to high-volume production," they said.
To ensure supply and support of key coextrusion and biaxial stretching capital equipment, Peak Nano has partnered with the Brueckner Group. The company said Brueckner has been a leader in polymer biaxial film production equipment for packaging, capacitor, and battery markets.
Brueckner's world headquarters is in Bavaria, Germany. The company's US headquarters and facility in Portsmouth, NH, offer domestic support for operation and service of its biaxial film processing lines and auxiliary equipment.
Capacitor-grade resin presented a larger challenge for developing a stable supply chain, according to Ponting.
"Stemming from unique resin requirements for low particulates, capacitor-grade resin feedstocks require special treatment during the polymerization and pelletization process," he explained. "Unfortunately, the last domestic manufacturer of capacitor-grade polymer resin discontinued its production more than a decade ago."
However, Ponting said the company has engineered its NanoPlex capacitor films utilizing the commercial standard capacitor-grade resins used in traditional single-layer capacitor films produced globally.
"The product and manufacturing process was developed to accept any capacitor resin feedstock supplier whether from Europe, or one of the several countries in the Far East producing capacitor-grade resin at volume," Ponting said.
Though initially limited to existing global capacitor resin feedstock producers, Ponting said the company's Peak Nano has started conversations with former and potential domestic high-volume resin manufacturers. He concluded that these discussions focus on the potential to restart or reshore capacitor resin production to fill demand for US production lines in the future.
David Hutton is a journalist with more than 25 years of experience as an editor and writer with daily newspapers and trade publications.
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