Bringing a nanomaterial innovation from the laboratory bench to a commercial product is rarely straightforward. Safety and sustainability are increasingly part of that journey from the outset. In this interview, Dr James Johnstone, Director of IP and Programmes at Advanced Material Development Ltd. (AMD), discusses how this UK-based SME is using its participation in iCARE to interrogate the real-world toxicology and life cycle implications of its nanocarbon-based applications — and what that process reveals about the challenges facing industry when disruptive materials meet a complex regulatory landscape.

Could you briefly introduce yourself and describe Advanced Material Development’s role within the iCARE project?

I am Dr James Johnstone, Director of IP and Programmes at Advanced Material Development Ltd. (AMD), an SME based in Farnborough, established in 2017 to exploit the novel properties of nanomaterials. AMD works closely with UK universities, commercial partners, and end users to develop, validate, and license nanomaterial-based applications across defence, FMCG, and healthcare sectors.

I've been part of the nano community for over 25 years and have seen the technology's promise consistently tempered by the safety debate, rightly so, as responsible use is both a commercial and human health imperative. Characterisation, testing, and modelling are key to determining market viability, since nanoscale structure and form play a significant role in toxicity.

AMD's role in iCARE is to provide real-world case studies that examine the toxicology and life-cycle implications of our materials and developing applications.

AMD is known for its work in nanocarbon materials, could you walk us through the specific applications you are developing, and what makes nanocarbons particularly promising?

AMD produces and formulates a range of nanomaterials that integrate into other material systems to improve performance or reduce materials costs. Our work spans RF and IR properties for defence, photonic crystals, highly conductive inks, ionic sensors for lithium-ion cell monitoring, and Thermal Interface Materials for keeping AI chips cool.

Within iCARE, we focus on nanocarbon-based UHF RFID for greener labelling and packaging — a long-standing application that demonstrates real-world promise. I've personally worked on InnovateUK-funded projects developing printed antennas on paper, plastic, and textiles, but toxicology and life cycle analysis were never previously addressed — until a client required it to progress commercialisation.

The goal is to show that nanocarbon RFID can reduce the carbon footprint of labelling while aligning with end-of-life packaging processes. Nanocarbon antennas are also more tolerant than aluminium to placement near high-dielectric materials, which often detune incumbent technology. Breaking down the full product life cycle has been challenging but enormously insightful.

How is AMD approaching toxicology and LCA as part of its development pathway, and at what stage do these considerations enter the process?

AMD has always been mindful of introducing materials that are not overtly toxic in real-world use. As we move beyond lab prototypes (TRL 1–3) into refined commercial applications (TRL 4–6), clients increasingly highlight specific regulations and the importance of long-term safety.

LCA has become essential to securing commercial viability, particularly as our main competitor is aluminium-based antennas, and new Extended Producer Responsibility regulations mean customers want to see incremental performance and sustainability benefits clearly evidenced.

During iCARE, we built a detailed quantitative process model for our UHF RFID application, identifying where energy consumption can be reduced for example, through more efficient high-shear mixing. At volumes of millions or billions of units, these LCA implications become very significant.

Real-world nanomaterial applications rarely involve a single material, mixtures are common. How is AMD addressing the challenge of characterising and testing these mixtures?

AMD's hybrid conductive inks contain several nanocarbon species that, when properly dispersed, produce cooperative conductivity effects, but this complicates toxicological assessment of the system as a whole, including polymer binders. Encouragingly, a prior PhD study showed benign cell growth on dried films, which gave us confidence to pursue the application.

iCARE takes this further by examining the ink at different life-cycle stages: from liquid product to printed film, and through to dispersion during recycling. We prepared test dispersions separating liquid components to assess individual and combined toxicologies, and used optical microscopy to track particle redispersion under mechanical abrasion. So far, results on iCARE's new-generation assays have been encouragingly benign.

The harder challenge is now linking Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs) to toxicology results to predict toxicity, an ambitious goal, but one where AI and large datasets can play a meaningful role going forward.

Looking ahead, how do you envision the safety and sustainability data from iCARE being used, and what would meaningful impact look like for AMD?

Directly, major RFID producers have already asked us about safety and life cycle data. With material passport regulations emerging and an increasing expectation to "prove no harm," these results provide valuable evidence for dossier submissions as products move within the single market.

More broadly, iCARE has equipped AMD with critical skills for navigating the downstream innovation challenges that often define the commercialisation "valley of death." That knowledge, and the data it has generated, is a lasting asset for the business.

Thank you, James, for such a candid and grounded perspective. AMD's experience highlights something that is easy to overlook in research projects — that for industry, safety data is not just a scientific deliverable, but a commercial necessity. The work being done within iCARE is clearly helping to bridge that gap, and it is encouraging to see an SME navigating those challenges with both rigour and ambition.