September 22, 2026

Requirements In, Material Out: ExoMatter Has Kicked Off Working on Inverse Design

ExoMatter has completed a first proof of concept for inverse design in materials development with an industrial client. Instead of testing existing materials against a specific requirement, inverse design generates candidate materials based on the requirement itself.

When developing a new material, companies start with requirements: it has to remain stable at 250 °C, it has to survive a certain solvent, it has to run on the line the company already owns, and it has to cost less than the old material.

Every tool available to them starts at the other end. A database, a supplier datasheet, a literature search – all of them begin with a material and describe what it does. So, R&D teams work backwards. They guess which candidates might be close, check them against their list, discard them, and start again.

ExoMatter’s thesis is that a material only counts when industry can actually use it.

Theoretical material structures are not an answer to current industrial challenges. Companies need materials that can be made, synthesized at a price, and run on equipment that already exists.

That is why ExoMatter has kicked off working on inverse design and completed a first proof of concept with an industrial customer.

With Inverse Design, R&D teams can hand in required properties and generate candidate materials, and a route to make them. For this purpose, the industrial requirements are translated into a quantifiable specification and based on this, a known or new material is identified. The proposed candidate can then be tested and validated in the laboratory.

“Reversing materials research – requirements in, material out – will change how materials are developed in every industry”, says Dr. Josua Vieten, Co-Founder of ExoMatter. “Once fully mature, inverse design could save years of laboratory testing and, consequently, millions in laboratory costs. We are excited to see the direction we are going in.”

ExoMatter will continue testing and developing inverse design over the coming months and bring it to their materials decision platform step by step.