Read the full article here: Plastics Today: Scorching Temps Fuel Need for Heat-resistant Grid Technology
Peak Nano is making strides in reshoring the manufacture of a key component of America's energy infrastructure — advanced nanolayered capacitor films.
This technology, previously sourced almost exclusively from China, represents a breakthrough for power grid reliability and energy independence. As record-breaking temperatures sweep across the US this summer, straining power grids to their limits, Peak Nano's heat-resistant technology offers a solution to prevent outages and ensure consistent electricity delivery during extreme weather events that are becoming increasingly common.
Founded in 2016, and based in Macedonia, OH, Peak Nano's core technology is NanoPlex, a nanoscale metamaterial used for optics, capacitor films, and specialty films deployed for defense, energy, aerospace, and communications. The film was developed in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Naval Research Laboratory. NanoPlex is developed and manufactured at its Films Business Unit in Valley View, OH.
NanoPlex serves as a direct replacement for traditional biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) capacitors while dramatically improving performance specifications. The technology increases operating temperature tolerance from 85°C to 135°C, enhancing grid reliability during summer heat waves and high-demand scenarios like fast charging applications.
According to Peak Nano, its NanoPlex-based capacitors extend component lifespans, reduce maintenance requirements, and support the ongoing transition to digital grid technologies including solid-state transformers (SST) and high-frequency switching (HFS) systems.
The company's films deliver improved performance metrics compared to legacy materials, with up to four times greater energy storage capacity, three to five times longer operational life, and superior resilience in challenging environments, it noted. The company also stated these advantages position NanoPlex as a critical technology for utilities and developers working to modernize the grid for renewables, fusion energy, distributed resources, and increasing electrification demands.
Recent heat waves across the United States have provided real-world testing conditions for the technology. Peak Nano Chief Science Officer Michael Ponting, PhD, highlighted two specific products addressing power grid challenges during extreme weather:
NanoPlex HDC provides up to 4X higher energy storage than traditional BOPP capacitors to help manage demand spikes;
NanoPlex LDF increases temperature tolerances from 85°C to 135°C, enabling greater grid stability during heat waves.
Peak Nano's proprietary nanolayer extrusion process differs fundamentally from conventional polymer film manufacturing.
"We focus more on the rheology to build stable and consistent nanolayered structures than on the chemistry of creating new plastics," Ponting explained. "Depending on the application, we primarily use off-the-shelf plastics, made from polypropylene and various high-temperature glassy polymers."
The company's approach is distinctive in three key ways:
utilizing flexible nanolayered coextrusion processing to optimize layer thicknesses and uniformity;
leveraging nanoscale interactions across thousands of repeated layers to enhance electrical, adhesion, and mechanical properties.
Ponting attributes the increased energy storage capabilities to two main innovations.
"The first is nanolayers that enable co-processing of high energy storage polymers that are traditionally not compatible in single or blend films. The second leverages the 10s to 1,000s of intrafilm layer interfaces to change electrical breakdown mechanisms in the film by separating areas of charge build-up and film failure during operation."
The technology can incorporate thousands of NanoPlex layers into films measuring just 3 to 12 microns in thickness. Ponting compared this approach to 3D chip stacking in semiconductors, where multiple dies are vertically integrated to enhance performance and density.
Reshoring this critical technology has presented several challenges.
"Ironically, our most challenging issue for a product that will help expand the power grid is getting power to new manufacturing facilities," Ponting noted. "Second is lead times on construction, permitting, and capital equipment, which can run as long as 24 months."
Rebuilding domestic expertise has also required significant investment.
"Rebuilding and retraining a labor force for the production of a technology that left the US more than a decade ago has taken time, resources, and assistance from some strategic partners," he said. The company has established partnerships with equipment manufacturer Brueckner from Germany and secured raw material suppliers from allied nations, eliminating dependence on China.
Peak Nano also is expanding its manufacturing capacity in the Cleveland, OH, area to meet growing demand, with production targets in the millions of pounds annually.
"Our nanolayering technology integrates well with existing commercial-scale capacitor film processing equipment, enabling a rapid scale-up through known equipment and material supply chains," Ponting explained.
Beyond power grid applications, NanoPlex technology is being explored for use in electric vehicles, defense systems (vehicle launchers, lasers, disruptive energy microwaves), fusion energy, aerospace, high-voltage transformers, mining, and oil exploration.