Nano-scaled materials are abundant in different stages of industrial manufacturing. Physical and chemical properties of these materials are strongly dependent on their size. Characterisation of mean size, size distribution, and shape of nano-scaled particles is very critical for the quality and efficiency of manufacturing processes. Yet, conventional characterisation technologies still show manifold shortcomings which represent a major innovation obstacle for manufacturers of nanoparticles. The NanoPAT consortium aims at closing this gap by the demonstration of 3 novel, real-time nano-characterisation Process Analytical Technologies (PAT), namely Photon Density Wave spectroscopy (PDW), OptoFluidic force induction (OF2i) and Turbidity spectrometry (TUS) including real-time data handling for digital process monitoring and product quality control. Those will be validated in 5 different industrial ceramic, polymer and mineral nanoparticles manufacturing and converting environments. This implies that innovating PATs will be paired with new data-analytical technologies in order to provide, for the first time, a real-time analysis for manufacturing processes of particles in the nanometer scale with sub minute temporal resolution. The NanoPAT consortium consists of 14 members, representing instrument developers, process data and modelling experts, academic process researchers, industrial processing experts, as well as innovation and dissemination specialists. The consortium profits from the broad involvement of its members in EU networks and ongoing H2020 projects. NanoPAT will intensively contribute to enhancing the innovation capacity of the European nanotechnology sector. As a result, the NanoPAT real-time nano-characterisation technologies will have reached TRL 6, promising valuable improvements in terms of quality, productivity and sustainability for the process industries in the EU and beyond. On June 2020 (4th and 5th) the NanoPAT project kicked-off and all partners were met. During the meeting the objectives, and scope of NanoPAT were presented as well as the work to be done for each WP with the corresponding partner. EXELISIS is contributing to WP8 focusing on exploitation, business planning, access to additional funding, and market penetration strategy.

The Project website is available at: http://www.nanopat.eu