TeraPore develops and manufactures filters with unprecedented performance through a proprietary and scalable block copolymer self-assembly technology. When fabricated into membranes, the polymers spontaneously form into highly uniform structures, creating precise holes (or pores) on the nanoscale. The benefits of these membranes include high permeability, allowing very high flow rates, and uniform pore sizes for highly precise nanofiltration. TeraPore's engineered membranes can also be produced at scale and at a range of different pore sizes - unique characteristics that are unprecedented in the field of nanofiltration.1
One critical application for Terapore’s technology is in the production process of biological drugs (or biologics) where a key step is the separation of viral contaminants from the drug material.
Beyond the biotech industry, TeraPore’s products have utility in water treatment, semiconductor processing, and responsive fabrics.
TeraPore’s Founder and CEO, Rachel Dorin along with Professor Ulrich Wiesner of Cornell University did their first studies of time-resolved in-situ analysis of the nanopore formation here at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS).2 Dr. Dorin went on to develop this process further into an industrial product and founded TeraPore Technologies in 2013 as a spinout of Cornell University. Another former Wiesner student and CHESS user, Dr. Yibei Gu, is Director of Research. TeraPore, a female entrepreneur-led company, has received support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).
1"TeraPore Technologies Raises $6M in Oversubscribed Series A Funding Round," PR Newswire, Mar 06, 2018 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/terapore-technologies-raises-6m-in-oversubscribed-series-a-funding-round-300608698.html
2Detlef Smilgies, "Secrets of Membrane Formation Revealed," Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source eNews Article, August 4, 2016, https://www.chess.cornell.edu/about/news/secrets-membrane-formation-revealed