MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Alexium acquires Microtek from CAVU Group
On Dec. 15, Alexium International Group Limited announced its acquisition of Microtek Laboratories from CAVU Group in exchange for shares in Alexium. The acquisition includes Microtek’s full microencapsulation and PCM business, including the associated intellectual property. CAVU Group retains ownership of Microtek’s temperature-controlled packaging division Adaptek.
Alexium (Greer, South Carolina) said in its announcement that it sought to incorporate Microtek’s (Dayton, Ohio) state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, formulations, and decades of encapsulation expertise to enhance domestic production capability, strengthen supply-chain resiliency, and expand its technology portfolio.
“Bringing Microtek’s microencapsulation and PCM technologies — and their manufacturing facilities — into the Alexium family accelerates our ability to deliver high-performance cooling solutions with unmatched reliability,” said Billy Blackburn, CEO of Alexium International. “This acquisition broadens our technical capabilities and meaningfully strengthens our U.S. supply chain, benefiting both Microtek and Alexium customers with greater stability, responsiveness, and scalability. We intend to continue operations in Dayton [Ohio] and to serve Microtek’s existing customer base without any interruption.”
Tim Riazzi of CAVU Group (Dayton, Ohio) echoed Blackburn: “Alexium is an outstanding strategic fit for Microtek’s PCM and encapsulation business. Their U.S. manufacturing strength, technical depth, and customer-centric approach ensure Microtek’s technologies will continue to grow, scale, and deliver value to the markets we’ve served for more than three decades.”
Microtek Laboratories is a pioneer in microencapsulated PCM technologies used in bedding, apparel, building materials, and industrial applications. Alexium said in its news release that Microtek’s processes, formulations, IP, and flagship NexTek and Micronal product lines complement Alexium’s portfolio, including BioCool, Alexicool, DelCool, AlexiShield, and Eclipsys. The combined product breadth and unified research and development for next-generation microencapsulation and comfort technologies will be held under the Alexium International brand.
RAL UPDATES
RAL certifies 4 new PCM
The RAL Quality Association PCM is pleased to grant certification for new PCM from four members: ISU Chemical Co., Ningbo Passive Edge Material Co., Pluss Advanced Technologies, and Hangzhou Ruhr New Material Technology Co. (“RuhrTech”).
“This is really exciting news, bringing to 15 the total number of products bearing the RAL Quality Mark PCM. We congratulate ISU, Passive Edge, Pluss, and RuhrTech for the innovation, hard work, and perseverance they exhibited to earn the Quality Mark,” said Stefan Thomann, RAL’s managing director. Certified products must meet strict performance and durability requirements that are monitored in-house and by independent third-party organizations, he added.
“RAL’s certification is the only one of its kind in the PCM industry. It was designed to instill confidence that the products will live up to their promise. We believe that only through such rigor and high standards can we grow this technology to the scale we need to help meet global energy and climate goals,” Thomann said.
ISU Chemical (Seoul, South Korea) earned certification for N-Par 14, a chemically inert, ecologically friendly paraffin PCM. Its high thermal energy storage capacity of a minimum of 180J/g has applications in many industries including cold-chain packaging and transport, building and construction, HVAC, refrigeration, electronics, textiles, and automotive.
“We obtained RAL certification to be officially recognized for the quality of the product and to inform customers of the quality excellence of the product,” said Managing Director Sun Young Park.
Passive Edge (Ningbo City, China) earned certification for PE-O-5, a 5°C PCM used in cold-chain transport and cold storage of food and pharmaceuticals. PE-O-5 helps meet compliance with good distribution practice (GDP), international guidelines designed to ensure the integrity of medicines throughout the supply chain.
“This certification indicates that Passive Edge’s material meets international industrial-grade standards in performance stability, reliability, and engineering applicability, providing clear, verifiable, and trustworthy quality assurance for advanced application clients,” said Marketing Director Jenro Wei.
Pluss Advanced Technologies (Gurugram, India) earned certification for savE OM50 in cycling category F (≥50 cycles). savE OM50 is an organic PCM developed for moderate-temperature thermal energy storage applications, with a phase-change temperature of approximately 50 °C, said Rajkumar Yadav, head of quality management at Pluss.
“The RAL Quality Mark confirms that savE OM50 complies with stringent requirements for thermal reliability, cycling stability, material consistency, and verified performance parameters, ensuring dependable long-term operation,” said CTO Sara Tihan Latibari. “The product is used in thermal energy storage systems for domestic hot water and space heating applications, etc.”
RuhrTech (Hangzhou, China) earned certification for OP5E, which is used in its TPP series and CS series cold-chain insulation boxes for the pharmaceutical industry. For example, 4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. were all safely transported to Jakarta, Indonesia, using Ruhr TPP series insulated boxes.
“In China, there are no standardized and professional certification standards and institutions for phase change materials. After years of technological accumulation, RAL has gained a high level of recognition and authority in the international field of phase change materials technology. Therefore, we hope to use the certification from the RAL as a platform to let more international enterprises know about Ruhr and understand its products,” said CEO Jimmy Zhi.
HSLU joins RAL as associate member
The RAL Quality Association PCM is moving forward. In addition to having four new products earn the RAL Quality Mark PCM, the association inducted its first associate member.
“I am happy to welcome the Competence Centre for Thermal Energy Storage at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) as our first associate member,” said Stefan Thomann, RAL’s managing director. “We are excited to cooperate with a leading research center dedicated to thermal energy storage as a solution to the energy crisis and a sustainable future. I look forward to a beneficial, long-lasting relationship.”
Dr. Rebecca Ravotti, a research lecturer and team leader at HSLU (Lucerne, Switzerland), said the university was drawn to RAL because it has “the leading internationally recognized certification in the field of thermal energy storage.” HSLU sought RAL membership to expand its partner network and to enhance its international visibility and credibility for its years developing PCM, she said.
“It is an honor for HSLU to become an associate member of the RAL association,” Ravotti said. “This membership represents a valuable opportunity to help shape the future of thermal energy storage together with leading experts and to contribute our scientific expertise to further develop recognized certification standards.”
HSLU plans to leverage its associate membership to participate in shaping standards, developing future certification steps, exchanging knowledge, and strengthening the link between research, certification, and industrial application, she said.
Ravotti and professor Ludger Josef Fischer, also of HSLU, delivered a presentation focusing on PCM measurement and development capabilities at RAL’s General Assembly meeting in October.
Thomann said full members are producers of PCM or products containing PCM or external monitoring institutes involved in the certification process. RAL established the new option of associate membership to encourage close cooperation and exchanges with stakeholders that share an interest in the quality assurance of PCM, he said. Associate members can participate in meetings but they do not have voting rights.
“We’re excited to add new members and leverage their expertise, ideas, and energy to fully realize the potential of PCM technology,” he said.
IN BRIEF
• Sunamp (Edinburgh, Scotland) is partnering with Jiangsu Gomon New Energy Technology Co. Ltd. to manufacture compact heat batteries for domestic hot water in China. The Scottish energy storage pioneer took part in the Nov. 25 unveiling of the China-British Phase Change Energy Storage Technology Innovation Center in Jingjiang, China. Sunamp said in its news release that the partnership with Gomon is part of its strategy to access new markets by making its patented Plentigrade PCM technology in licensed factories under agreements with partners. The company also said that its Scottish factory remains the hub for Europe and other global markets, while licensed facilities abroad will enable faster adoption of its PCM technology in regions with high demand for clean energy solutions. Shen Qiang, secretary of the Jingjiang Municipal Party Committee, hailed the collaboration as a model of “British technology and made in Jingjiang,” combining Scotland’s expertise in thermal storage innovation with China’s manufacturing strengths and market reach. Gary Hunt, Commercial Consul at the British Consulate General in Shanghai, called the new facility “an important symbol of international cooperation,” highlighting its role in supporting global net-zero ambitions.
• Thermal energy storage (TES) researchers and practitioners are invited to submit abstracts and participate in the Eurotherm seminar “Contribution of Thermal Energy Storage Towards Decarbonization” May 13-15, 2026, at the University of Lleida, Spain. The submission deadline has been extended to Jan. 15. The seminar, which is organized by the GREiA Research Group, will bring together academic and industry experts to discuss recent advances in TES, including materials, systems, applications in renewable energy, buildings and industry, as well as artificial intelligence.
• A recording of a session on modeling and integration of innovative thermal energy storage (TES) solutions in the built environment held during a Knowledge Exchange Forum on Dec. 2 is available. In collaboration with the Hystore and ThumbsUp projects, the session explored the challenges faced while modeling; the approaches, methods, and solutions chosen; lessons learned, including the use of blackbox, whitebox, and greybox modeling technique; and the opportunities and challenges of AI, generative, and cloud-based modeling.
• Harald Mehling, an independent consultant in R&D with a focus on heat transfer and heat storage, recently published “Review of the Use of Entropy to Understand the Thermodynamics of Pure-Substance PCMs.” He said he has been working on the topic since 2012 because PCM development usually focuses on thermodynamics and entropy is overlooked. This review shows that using entropy systematically can significantly improve the understanding of PCM thermodynamics, Mehling said.
• Supply issues with carbon dioxide that could affect production of dry ice in 2026 is leading packaging manufacturers to invest in research for alternative cold-chain solutions, according to a story by Packaging Dive. Maura Garvey, president of Intelligas Consulting, told the media outlet that U.S. demand for dry ice has been growing 5% annually, yet CO2 production capacity has only been growing 0.3% per year. That is driving cold-chain packaging makers to look for more plentiful, safe, and sustainable alternatives.
• Pluss Advanced Technologies Ltd. was recognized as a 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 – 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐌𝐒𝐌𝐄 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐲) and named as one of the 𝐓𝐨𝐩 20 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 at the CII Industrial Innovation Awards 2025 in New Delhi, India, on Dec. 13. The CII Industrial Innovation Awards were instituted in 2014 to identify and celebrate innovative Indian enterprises across industry segments and sectors.
• Sunamp was awarded a 2025 Institute of Physics (IOP) Business Innovation Award at the Palace of Westminster (England) on Dec. 11 for its breakthrough in compact thermal storage that improves heat transfer performance in high flow rate hot water applications. Sunamp CEO Grant Richardson said: “This award is a powerful endorsement of the physics at the heart of our technology. By solving a fundamental challenge in heat transfer, we’ve unlocked new levels of efficiency in thermal storage which is now proven in the real world with almost 40,000 Thermino heat batteries installed in homes across UK, Europe and North America.”
JOBS
• Pluss Advanced Technologies has an opening for a purchasing and material manager at the Gurgaon location. The purchasing and material manager’s “key responsibilities include managing vendor relationships, negotiating pricing, maintaining inventory accuracy, and supporting production schedules.” Applicants are asked to send résumés to HR@pluss.co.in.
• Pluss Advanced Technologies also has an opening for a senior engineer for maintenance and electrical at the Bawal location. The senior engineer is “responsible for leading a team of technicians/supervisors in performing scheduled and preventive maintenance on electrical systems, equipment, and machinery.” Applicants are asked to send résumés to HR@pluss.co.in.
PATENTS
Systems and methods for managing thermal energy
U.S. patent application 20250354765 (Phasestor, LLC, Asheboro, North Carolina):
“In one aspect, thermal energy storage systems are described herein. In some embodiments, such a system comprises a container, a heat exchanger disposed within the container, and a phase change material (PCM) disposed within the container. The heat exchanger comprises an inlet pipe, an
outlet pipe; and a number n of plates in fluid communication with the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, wherein n is at least 2. The inlet pipe, outlet pipe, and plates are arranged and connected such that a fluid flowing from the inlet pipe and to the outlet pipe flows through the plates in between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe. The PCM disposed within the container is also in thermal contact with the plates.”
Cryogenic inorganic phase change material and preparation method and application thereof
U.S. patent application 20250320395 (Shanghai Shengsheng Logistics Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China):
“A cryogenic inorganic phase change material, a preparation method and an application thereof are provided. The phase transition temperature is -72~-70° C., with high latent heat of phase transition, it is an efficient substitute for dry ice in cold chain delivery. The formula components are all inorganic, non-toxic and harmless, with low subcooling degree and good cycling stability. It can effectively match a transportation temperature range of bioactive drugs and avoid an impact of carbon dioxide on bioactive drugs.”
More U.S. patent applications:
Phase change materials for cooling of air (Itshak Barrabi Consulting Engineers Ltd., Netanya, Israel) | Compositions comprising latent heat storage materials and methods of making the same (Phase Change Energy Solutions, Inc., Greensboro, North Carolina) | Electric drive unit including a heat exchanger with phase changing material (Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co., Herogenaurach, Germany) | Method for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials and system for use therein (Cold Chain Technologies, Franklin, Massachusetts) | High power passive thermal storage heat exchanger (U.S. Navy, Arlington, Virginia) | Methods and systems for producing beaded polymeric fibers with advanced themoregulating properties (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York) | Heat dissipation composition and method of manufacturing busbar assembly using the same (Samsung SDI Co., Yongin-si, South Korea)
RESEARCH ROUNDUP
From Thermochimica Acta:
• A SEBS-stabilized eutectic phase change gel for passive cold chain preservation of perishable produce
• Valorization of petroleum slack wax for sustainable phase change materials with enhanced thermal energy storage
From Materials & Design:
From Bioresource Technology:
From Case Studies in Thermal Engineering:
From Journal of Building Engineering:
From Journal of Energy Storage:
• Oil-based phase change emulsions with reduced viscosity for thermal energy storage
• Performance assessment and optimization of a compact phase change cold thermal storage device with closed rectangular fins
• Intrinsic flame-retarded phase change material based on molecular modification of 1-hexadecanol for battery thermal management
• Enhanced thermal properties of biochar-based shape-stabilized phase change materials for thermal energy storage through ZnCl2 modification
From Biomass and Bioenergy:
• Development of a nano-engineered form-stable phase transition material by valorization of spent coffee for thermal energy storage
• Recent advances in biochar-based composite phase change materials
From International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer:
• An in-depth analysis of the impact of magnetic fields on phase change materials for enhanced thermal performance
• Experimental investigation of thermal performance of NanoEncapsulated-PCM emulsions in parallel plate thermal energy storage system
From Thermal Science and Engineering Progress:
• Synthesis and thermal properties of PEG8000-CaCl2-SEBS/EG as novel flexible composite phase change materials for thermal management
• Hafnium carbide as a novel nanofiller for RT64HC phase change materials: Enhancing thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and cycling stability
From Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells:
• OBC-encapsulated and EG-reinforced photothermal phase change materials for broad-spectrum solar thermal conversion and storage
• Preparation and thermal properties of hollow ceramic-based phase change materials for thermal energy storage
From Energy Conversion and Management: X:
From Materials Science and Engineering: B:
From Applied Thermal Engineering:
From Journal of Power Sources:
From Chemical Engineering Journal:
From Energy Engineering:
From Renewable Energy:
NETWORKING
Connect with PCM experts and industry leaders on LinkedIn
More than 1,800 people have joined a LinkedIn group devoted to the discussion of phase change material and thermal energy storage. You are invited to join the Phase Change Matters group and connect with PCM and TES experts from around the world.
This month we welcome Dennis Poon, technical support and development manager at SIP, London, England; Phil Cruver, co-founder and CEO of Geo2Watts, Palm Desert, California; Hamish Hingston, CEO of ICEE Technology Group, Melbourne, Australia; Annika van Aalst, junior marketing manager at Pluss Advanced Technologies, Maasbracht, Netherlands; Abhinay Rakam, research scholar at SR University, Warangal, India; and Mahdi Momeni, energy system modeler at ESMIA Consultants, North York, Canada.
NEWS TIPS
Does your company, agency or university have a job opening, new research, new product or other news you’d like to share? I would love to hear from you. Please contact newsletter editor Amy Phillips at phasechangematters@gmail.com.
A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
This newsletter is made possible through the generous support of the RAL Quality Association PCM and the members listed below. To learn more about the association, including membership benefits, please contact Stefan Thomann, executive director, at pcm@kellencompany.com.
Axiotherm GmbH | B Medical Systems | Croda International Plc. | ISU Chemical Co. Ltd. | RuhrTech | Microtek Laboratories | Passive Edge Tech | PCM Technology | PLUSS Advanced Technologies | PureTemp LLC | Rubitherm Technologies GmbH | Sasol Germany GmbH | S.Lab Asia Inc. | Sunamp Ltd. | va-Q-tec AG