Keith Azzopardi and his team at Smart Materials Limited believe they have developed a revolutionary polyurethane foam that could be used in multiple industries.

Founded in 2020, the Maltese start-up has developed the game-changing material, which behaves differently from any other foam currently on the market.

“When you stretch typical foam, it expands, and when you press it, it contracts,” Azzopardi, CEO and co-founder, explained. “Our foam, however, gets harder when compressed.”

According to him, since the 1980s, big brand names and manufacturing companies across different industries have tried and failed to develop such type of foam on a scale viable for the market.

The innovative foam developed by Smart Materials Limited.

A study by Sheffield Hallam University on auxetic foams, which exhibit similar properties, highlighted the challenge: “Auxetic foams could be a potential alternative to conventional foam… However, most of the potential applications are limited by the substantial lack of scale-up manufacturing methodologies to produce large auxetic foam samples.”

What sets Smart Materials Limited apart is their innovative approach to developing the foam.

“Others have produced foams with similar properties but we altered the production process. This allows our foam to be far more customisable, achieving properties that others couldn’t,” Azzopardi noted.

The potential applications for this foam are vast, spanning industries from automotive to footwear and even aerospace. However, the company has chosen to focus initially on revolutionising mattresses.

“We want to start with mattresses but, eventually, aim to transform the footwear and automotive industries as well,” Azzopardi said.

Traditional mattresses require multiple layers of foam to provide comfort and support, which results in higher material usage, increased production complexity and more storage space.

Smart Materials Limited’s foam, needing only a single layer, addresses these issues.

“Our foam is more adaptable to different body types and uses fewer materials, giving us a competitive edge in the market,” Azzopardi explained.

I’ll be satisfied when everyone is sleeping on our foam, running in shoes with our foam and travelling in cars equipped with our foam

Sustainability is another major advantage of their product. According to the European Bedding Industry Association, up to 30 million mattresses reach the end of their life cycle each year. With fewer layers and materials, Smart Materials Limited’s foam is easier to recycle, making it a more sustainable option.

Azzopardi’s interest in unconventional materials dates back to his PhD in metamaterials – the study of materials not found in nature – under the supervision of Ruben Gatt, an expert in the field. It was during this time that he first experimented with foam.

“We knew it had potential but we initially walked away from it because we didn’t know how to handle it,” he admitted.

Today, Smart Materials Limited is ready to bring this innovation to the market. Azzopardi revealed that several major brands in the foaming and chemical industries have already expressed interest in their product. The company is now exploring opportunities to sell the foam’s recipe and customisation techniques.

Azzopardi envisions Malta as a technology hub, driven by innovations like theirs.

“I’ll be satisfied when everyone is sleeping on our foam, running in shoes with our foam and travelling in cars equipped with our foam – whether they realise it or not,” he said.