Deep Tech Briefing #25: ⚛️ Fusion Test Reactor; 🧪 Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Portable Allergen Sensors; 🛡️Defense-Tech Unicorn Hyperscales Production; 🚀 Fully Reusable Rocket and more...
An insider’s update on Deep Tech Ventures: Your dose of tech innovations, startups, exponential industries, policies, and market moves to stay ahead and capitalize on it.
Hey there! Welcome to this edition of Deep Tech Briefing, our Sunday column where we break down the week’s top developments in Deep Tech Startups and Venture Capital.
Subscribe for free to get it straight to your inbox every Sunday, and read it whenever you like!
In today’s edition
Fusion energy startup raises millions for groundbreaking test reactor
Innovative food allergen sensor powered by molecular imprinting polymers
Defense unicorn pushes boundaries with hyperscale production facility
Texas geothermal project set to deliver power and storage solutions
Reusable rocket design promises to reduce space launch costs
✨ For more, see Membership | Partnership | Deep Tech Catalyst
🔸 Bezos-Backed Nuclear Fusion Company Raises Millions from Canadian Government for Test Reactor
As the global community faces the dual challenges of energy security and climate change, nuclear fusion has emerged as a critical area of interest. Fusion, in fact, could offer the potential for an almost limitless and carbon-free energy source. However, the path to commercialization is fraught with technical and financial hurdles, delaying its emergence on the global energy scene.
The recent investment by Canadian government agencies in General Fusion's LM26 project, a Canadian company backed by Jeff Bezos, marks a step forward in the effort to bring fusion energy to the market and demonstrates the interest of public-private partnerships in advancing this technology.
Fusion energy works by combining atomic nuclei to release energy, mimicking the process that powers the sun. This contrasts with nuclear fission, which splits atoms and generates long-lasting radioactive waste. Fusion, in theory, could provide clean energy without these drawbacks, but the challenge has always been to achieve the extreme conditions necessary for a sustained reaction.
The core of General Fusion's technology is its Lawson Machine 26 (LM26), a demonstrative device designed to achieve fusion conditions by 2025 and reach scientific breakeven by 2026. General Fusion's approach involves a process known as Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF), which merges aspects of magnetic confinement fusion and inertial confinement fusion. MTF works by compressing a plasma, an ionized gas containing fusion fuel, to the point where nuclear fusion occurs. The challenge lies in reaching and maintaining the conditions required for this reaction: temperatures above 100 million degrees Celsius and sufficient pressure to sustain the fusion process.
In General Fusion's system, these conditions are created using a combination of plasma injection and mechanical compression. Unlike traditional methods that rely on expensive superconducting magnets or lasers, General Fusion's approach uses mechanically driven pistons to compress the plasma inside a liquid metal cavity. This innovative method allows for the extreme temperatures and pressures necessary for fusion but at a lower cost and with greater scalability.
The process begins with the injection of hot plasma into a chamber where it is magnetically confined. Around the plasma is a layer of liquid metal, typically molten lithium. The pistons rapidly compress the liquid metal, creating a shock wave that compresses the plasma to fusion conditions. The energy generated is absorbed by the liquid metal, then converted to electricity via steam turbines.
Of course, together with these promising advances, General Fusion's MTF technology brings challenges. Achieving the precise timing and symmetry required for piston-driven compression remains a significant technical hurdle. Additionally, while the use of liquid metal offers many advantages, it introduces complexities in managing the thermal dynamics and fluid mechanics of the system.
So, yes...the timeline for commercial fusion remains uncertain, and significant technical challenges persist. However, the potential for fusion energy to provide consistent base-load power—unlike the intermittency associated with renewable energy sources—is truly intriguing. As each of these associated challenges is addressed, fusion energy could indeed become a pivotal element in stabilizing the energy grid as we transition away from fossil fuels.
🔸 Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Coupled with an Electrochemical Sensor: Millions for Pocket-Sized Food Allergen Sensor
Food allergies are a growing concern, affecting millions of people worldwide and posing significant health risks. In the United States alone, approximately 33 million individuals suffer from food allergies, contributing to an estimated $25 billion in annual economic costs. The global impact is even more staggering, with hundreds of millions affected by this condition. As food allergies become more prevalent, the need for accurate and portable detection methods has never been greater.
Traditional allergen detection technologies, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), primarily focus on identifying specific proteins or DNA fragments associated with allergens. While these methods are effective, they have limitations. Food processing can degrade the proteins and DNA they target, leading to potential false negatives.