Meet the Innovators: SurgePower Materials Inc.

2019 NASA iTech Cycle II Finalist:

SurgePower Materials Inc. of San Marcos, Texas

Innovation:

A prototype demonstrating a new method to cost-effectively manufacture graphene from the cassava crop.

What is your technology?

We have developed a green sustainable process that uses an abundant plant material (cassava) as input and produces extremely pure graphene with superior physical attributes. We believe the application of graphene will help combat climate change and be the backbone of many new technologies in electronics, medicine and materials that provide benefits for everyone.

What should people know about your team?

SurgePower Materials Inc. Chief Executive Officer Michael Opoku was inspired by his African background, which planted a seed of sustainability in his mind. He grew up in the city of Kumasi, popularly known as "the garden city" in the central part of Ghana. This inspired him to look for an energy storage solution using a sustainable, raw material.

What do you look forward to most about the NASA iTech forum?

We would like to get feedback about the application of our product, SP2Hybrid. Our initial focus is applying our product to increase energy storage density.

This information was provided by SurgePower Materials Inc. NASA iTech is a year-long effort to find innovative ideas that could address challenges facing space exploration. Ten competition finalists will present their ideas Oct. 7-8, 2019, at a NASA iTech forum in Las Cruces, New Mexico. At the culmination of the forum, three winning teams will be selected and recognized during a non-monetary awards ceremony.