Smoke from distant forest fires blows into our communities for days at a time. Most neighbors have multiple gas-powered lawn care products that pollute at a higher rate than cars. The quality across the nation has struggled as 44% of Americans live in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the “State of the Air” report published by the American Lung Association. Under the guidance of IMS Polymer Faculty member Douglas Adamson, students from his lab have created AeroGraphiX, a company developing high-tech High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.
AeroGraphiX uses materials with properties unique to the industry. The filter fibers have a graphene coating which makes them conductive and allows them to maintain an electric charge to increase efficiency. It also allows the filters to include real-time monitoring. Standard air filters can retain moisture and therefore act as catalysts for microbes, however, AeroGraphiX materials are being evaluated for anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. AeroGraphiX materials are also scalable, therefore making them practical for large scale industrial production. These unique properties inspired Dr. Adamson to file a Patent with Robert Minh Lu Williams. Meanwhile, Deep Srivastava and Brenden Ferland have created the company, AeroGraphiX, to further develop the materials and build a commercial product.
The AeroGraphiX team has gained attention as well as funding support from the Entrepreneurship Fellowship Prototyping Grant, Amazon AWS Credits, University of Connecticut CCEI – Get Seeded Award, UConn CCEI Summer Accelerator, Regional NSF iCorps, and UConn 3rd Innovative Health Pitch Fest 2026.
The AeroGraphiX Leadership Team:
· Deep Srivastava – Chemistry Ph.D. Candidate – Chief Executive Officer
· Brenden Ferland – Polymer Science Ph.D. Candidate – Chief Technology Officer
· Robert Minh Lu Williams – Chief Scientific Officer and co-inventor
· Polymer Program faculty member, Prof. Douglas Adamson – Co-Founder, Co-Inventor, & Chief Scientific Advisor
By Osker Dahabsu