MAST CARBON INTERNATIONAL LTD

Their core work

Mast Carbon International is a UK-based SME specializing in the development and manufacture of nanoporous carbon materials with controlled porosity. Their core business applies advanced carbon materials to both energy storage (sodium-ion batteries) and medical therapeutics (treatment of liver diseases). They bridge materials science and clinical application, supplying engineered carbon products that serve as active components in batteries and as therapeutic agents for conditions like liver cirrhosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only three projects spanning 2015–2016 start dates, evolution is limited but directionally interesting. Their initial engagement included energy storage (NAIADES, 2015) alongside medical therapeutics (CARBALIVE, 2015), showing a dual-application strategy for their core carbon materials from the outset. The later WaterSEED involvement (2016) hints at a broadening into water technology, suggesting the company is exploring new application domains for nanoporous carbons beyond their established energy and health uses.

Mast Carbon appears to be expanding the application range of their core nanoporous carbon platform into new domains like water treatment, while their largest investment remains in medical therapeutics.

How they like to work

Mast Carbon operates exclusively as a participant or third party — never as a coordinator — which is typical for a specialist materials SME that contributes specific technical components to larger consortia. With 48 unique partners across 11 countries from just 3 projects, they embed into sizable international consortia rather than leading small teams. This suggests they are a sought-after specialist supplier whose materials expertise is integrated into broader research and demonstration programmes.

Despite only three projects, Mast Carbon has built a wide network of 48 partners across 11 countries, indicating involvement in large, multi-national consortia. Their reach spans broadly across Europe rather than clustering in any single region.

What sets them apart

Mast Carbon occupies a rare niche: a single materials technology platform — nanoporous carbons with controlled porosity — applied across radically different sectors (medical devices, batteries, water treatment). This cross-sector versatility makes them an unusual and valuable consortium partner because they bring deep materials expertise that adapts to multiple application contexts. For anyone needing engineered carbon materials with precise pore structures, they are one of very few SMEs with both the manufacturing capability and the clinical/energy track record to back it up.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CARBALIVE
  Their largest funded project (EUR 398,495) and a striking example of carbon materials applied to clinical medicine — specifically treating liver cirrhosis and NAFLD with engineered porous carbons.
• NAIADES
  Demonstrates the versatility of their carbon platform in a completely different domain — sodium-ion batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion energy storage.