Liquid metals are emerging as a critical enabler of high-temperature, low-emission energy systems. From sodium-cooled advanced reactors like TerraPower to grid-scale liquid metal batteries developed by Ambri, established players are validating the material’s ability to transfer and store heat more efficiently than conventional media. The same physics now underpins next-generation hydrogen production, thermal storage, and accelerator-driven nuclear systems.

Below, we spotlight 7 emerging startups advancing liquid metal technologies:

  1. BurnStar Technologies (South Africa): Zero-Emission Hydrogen
  2. Fourth Power (USA): Grid-Scale Energy Storage
  3. Dual Fluid (Germany): Liquid-Fuel Nuclear Reactor
  4. Lead accel (Japan): Liquid Metal-cooled Accelerator-driven Systems
  5. GIGAette (South Korea): Integral Thermal Power Battery
  6. Green Metals Energy (Australia): Clean Hydrogen
  7. Aalo Atomics (USA): Modular Nuclear Power Plants

 

 

7 High-Impact Liquid Metal Solutions Driving Energy Transformation

1. BurnStar Technologies – Liquid Metal Reforming (LMR)

  • Founding Year: 2019
  • Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

South African startup BurnStar Technologies produces zero-emission hydrogen from hydrocarbons. It conducts catalytic molten-metal pyrolysis inside a liquid metal bubble column (LMBC) reactor. The process splits methane and natural gas into pure hydrogen and solid carbon, producing no emissions.

The technique offers high-purity hydrogen onsite, reducing the need for storage and transport infrastructure. It delivers scalable hydrogen production suited to industrial power, steel, refining, transport fuels, and chemical energy users.

2. Fourth Power – High-Temperature Heat Transfer

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Cambridge, MA, USA

US-based startup Fourth Power develops a thermal energy storage system that stores energy as heat in molten metal and carbon blocks.

It utilizes energy from multiple sources to power graphite heaters. These heaters heat liquid tin to very high temperatures, which then acts as a heat transfer fluid. Molten tin flows through a closed loop of graphite pipes. The pipes move heat into solid carbon storage blocks, and the blocks store energy as heat. Further, the technology deploys thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion to turn stored heat back into electricity.

The system enables flexible grid-scale energy storage with fast dispatch. This enables utilities and grid operators achieve energy autonomy.

3. Dual Fluid – Liquid Metal Fluid-Based Nuclear Reactor Design

  • Founding Year: 2021
  • Location: Berlin, Germany
  • Funding: Raised CAD 7 million 

German startup Dual Fluid offers a nuclear reactor using two circulating liquids. One liquid contains the molten nuclear fuel, and the other is a liquid metal coolant that extracts heat. This method replaces the solid fuel rods for energy production.

The high-temperature liquid metal heat transfer enables continuous heat removal. This heat drives generators to produce low-emission electricity. It supplies stable heat for hydrogen and synthetic fuel production.

The reactor design further utilizes liquid metal cooling to minimize nuclear waste. It also increases safety for industrial energy producers, grid operators, and hydrogen fuel markets.

 

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4. Lead accel – Accelerator Driven Transmutation Systems (ADS) for Nuclear Coolants

  • Founding Year: 2025
  • Location: Tokyo, Japan

Japanese startup Lead accel is developing an ADS using liquid metal technology for nuclear coolants.

It uses a liquid heavy metal target as a neutron source driven by a proton accelerator. The system produces neutrons through nuclear spallation. It uses them to change high-level nuclear waste into less harmful isotopes.

Moreover, liquid metal cooling facilitates efficient heat transfer and supports stable reactor operation. The design reduces long-term radiotoxicity and benefits energy producers and nuclear waste managers.

5. GIGAette – Thermal Energy Storage

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Daejeon, South Korea
  • Funding: Secured USD 650K Seed Funding

South Korean startup GIGAette builds the integral thermal power (ITP) battery for stationary energy storage. The battery stores electricity as high-temperature heat using liquid metal heat transfer.

Liquid metal circulates through the system to absorb, transport, and release thermal energy. Such high-temperature storage supports grid stability as well as balances renewable supply variability to stabilize power recovery for grid and industrial energy users.

6. Green Metals Energy – Hydrogen Production

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Sydney, Australia

Australian startup Green Metals Energy utilizes liquid metal technology to generate hydrogen from water. Its process uses sunlight to trigger a photoreaction with liquid metals that produces hydrogen without harmful byproducts.

Moreover, the process circulates liquid metals in a closed system to sustain the reaction and recycle the metal. The solution delivers clean hydrogen fuel for renewable energy and industrial users.

7. Aalo Atomics – Liquid Metal Coolant

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Austin, TX, USA

US-based startup Aalo Atomics builds Aalo Pod, a modular nuclear power plant with liquid metal coolant technology. It leverages liquid sodium metal to extract and transport heat from the reactor core. Liquid metal heat transfer enables high energy output and thermal management.

The process generates clean electricity for data centers and grid energy users, supporting low-emission power for industrial and digital infrastructure.

Research Method

This analysis of liquid metal startups in the energy industry is powered by proprietary intelligence from the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 9M+ global companies, 25K+ technologies & trends, and 190M+ patents, news articles, and market reports.

Leveraging the platform’s AI-driven trend intelligence and startup scouting capabilities, we evaluated 800+ liquid metal startups and scaleups worldwide. The assessment examines core innovation signals like technology specialization (liquid metal cooling, molten-metal hydrogen production, high-temperature thermal storage, accelerator-driven systems), funding momentum, geographic clustering, and industrial application maturity.