A new machine at the University of Southampton will print thin films of materials—insulators, metals, semiconductors, and ceramics—onto flexible rolls of fabric, plastic, paper, or metal foil, the first such UK facility designed for rapid material discovery. Current industrial production is too slow and risk-averse to test novel combinations of materials and flexible substrates. This machine, called FLEX-INSPIRE, uses purpose-built software to run many different deposition recipes in quick succession, accelerating the search for better-performing materials. It also operates at low temperature and uses shadow masking to cut chemical and water use. If successful, the infrastructure could speed the development of wearable sensors that monitor patients in real time, thermoelectric fabrics that power devices from body heat, and lightweight solar panels for satellites. It could also improve flexible batteries and supercapacitors for autonomous energy systems, and enable superconducting films for quantum computing. The facility is open to academic and industrial users across the UK, with a pump-prime scheme to support early-career researchers.
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FLEX-INSPIRE will establish the UK's first thin-film deposition infrastructure for flexible materials (Roll-to-Roll, R2R) featuring advanced purpose-built control software for high-throughput material discovery and rapid patterning on innovative flexible substrates. This system enables deposition of diverse materials including insulators, metals, semiconductors, and ceramics, essential for developing new technologies in energy and beyond. As a prime example, leading thermoelectric material GeTe, deposited on textiles, could power wearable sensors from body-heat alone. Beyond R2R, the system accommodates traditional rigid substrates up to 8-inch in diameter, compatible with Southampton’s existing nanofabrication technologies. It also enables deposition on long rolls of materials used in flexible technologies such as fabrics, plastics, paper, flexible glass, and metallic foils. This pioneering infrastructure surpasses current UK industrial capabilities, combining flexible substrates with rapid material discovery, aligning perfectly with EPSRC’s Advanced Materials Theme. The energy sector will be the prime beneficiary. Our closest fusion reactor, the sun, provides humanity with vast amounts of sustainable energy in the form of light and heat. Lightweight and flexible harvesters for light (photovoltaic) and heat (thermoelectric) enable energy recovery not only here on Earth, but critically in space. Furthermore, triboelectric and piezoelectric generators can also be designed to supply continuous power thus reducing battery demand. Flexible supercapacitors and batteries can be developed for storing the charge from these harvesters, enabling fully autonomous energy systems. These energy technologies require extensive research and development, which is currently severely limited in industry due to production time constraints and the high-risk nature of new discoveries. FLEX-INSPIRE will provide the step-change needed for both academia and industry, to enable rapid discovery and optimisation of novel materials, leading to enhanced device performance. Using scalable end-user substrates, the infrastructure will facilitate commercial uptake of cutting-edge research, and foster new practices and policies, ensuring sustainability for our society. FLEX-INSPIRE will drive innovation beyond energy technologies. This state-of-the-art infrastructure enables measurable high-quality, timely, and impactful research in Healthcare, Defence, AI, Quantum technologies, Photonics, Space, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, and Flexible Electronics. Wearable sensors offer real-time patient monitoring, vital for preventative healthcare. Lightweight electronics installed on satellites, maximise lifetime. Large, replicable datasets improve AI material-science discovery. Flexible superconducting films will revolutionise quantum computing. Conformal displays could wrap around buildings or be used in foldable phones. Flexible electronics embedded into clothing will create a fully connected digitised world. FLEX-INSPIRE prioritises sustainability; Its low-temperature, energy-efficient process reduces the time required to recover the energy invested into device fabrication, bringing sustainable energy recovery ever closer. Advanced control software enables multi-recipe runs, accelerating material development, saving time, energy, and cost. Shadow masking reduces the use of chemicals and high-purity water, supporting the UK’s net zero strategy. The infrastructure will produce commercially viable materials on a large batch scale, ensuring a smooth transition from laboratory research into industry for subsequent large-scale production. Accessibility is at the heart of this project. This national infrastructure serves early-career researchers, and industry leaders alike, academic or commercial, regardless of background. Cutting-edge, inclusive, and open to all, it’s ready to drive innovation across the UK. FLEX-INSPIRE’s pump-prime scheme, Accessibility Plan and Dissemination Plan aims to create an ‘access for all’ infrastructure. FLEX-INSPIRE will advance UK research in lightweight and flexible applications, from wearables to satellites, ensuring a sustainable, inclusive future.
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