NewCopper LLC, a company developing high-performance, conductive, copper-based inks for printed electronics, has joined the Mtech Ventures incubator.
Founded by Shenqiang Ren, a materials science and engineering professor at the University of Maryland, NewCopper is developing inks that conduct electricity. These inks are deposited onto substrates using various standard printing methods to create electronics and electronic components.
NewCopper’s inks utilize a copper base, replacing more expensive and commonly used materials for conductive inks, such as silver.
“Our innovation is making copper printable,” said Ren. “Historically, copper’s conductivity has not been as good as silver. It has also been sensitive to both oxidation and corrosion. Ours is not. It can also be sintered in air at low temperatures, meaning it does not require restrictive manufacturing processes and is compatible with existing printed electronic infrastructures.”
NewCopper’s inks are made from pristine or recycled copper. “We convert it into a printable ink slurry,” said Ren. “It becomes copper, but a better copper. Copper plus.”
The company’s inks are also recyclable. What’s more, due to their high density, low resistance, high conductivity, and flexible nature, they can be used for a wide variety of applications. These include 3D printing, both flexible and aerospace electronics, batteries, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, electric vehicle systems, RFIDs, heating arrays, and more.
“Our inks can even be applied precisely on textiles, paper and biodegradable polymers, due to their high printing resolution, low-temp sintering, and strong surface adhesion,” Ren added.
NewCopper may produce inks from additional metals in the future.
The company moved into the Mtech Ventures incubator in late 2024.
“Mtech Ventures is close to everything I am doing on campus,” said Ren. “It makes a lot of sense, from a convenience standpoint, to have NewCopper in the incubator. The networking opportunities provided by Mtech are also important to us. We want to be a part of it.”
NewCopper licensed its technology, invented by Ren, from the University of Maryland.
The company received a $300,000 TEDCO Maryland Innovation Initiative Company Formation award in August 2024. It was also awarded a $100,000 2024 Energy Seed Grant from UMD’s Maryland Energy Innovation Institute.
Ren plans to participate in the national NSF I-Corps™ Teams program with NewCopper this year. He was an NSF CAREER Award winner in 2015.
NewCopper has three employees. The company is working on de-risking its materials for both high yield and high volume, as well as prototyping electronic devices using its new copper inks.
