What IoLiTec Ionic Liquids Technologies does

IoLiTec Ionic Liquids Technologies GmbH is a privately held German specialty chemicals company founded in 2003 by Prof. Dr. Thomas J.S. Schubert and headquartered in Heilbronn, with a secondary production site at the Dow ValuePark in Schkopau. The company develops, produces, and sells ionic liquids — salts with melting points below 100°C characterized by low volatility, high thermal stability, tunable polarity, and electrical conductivity — alongside complementary product lines including nanomaterials, fluorine specialties (distributed 3M Novec products), heat transfer fluids under the IoLiTherm brand, battery electrolytes under the IoLiLyte brand, and green reagents for rare earth recovery. Its core technology platform spans synthesis, customization, and application development for electrochemical, chemical processing, and energy storage applications, supported by a proprietary compound library of 500+ ionic liquids and an extensive physical/chemical property database.

The company operates two ISO 9001:2015-certified facilities (Heilbronn HQ with 500 m² of lab and office space; Schkopau production), enabling scale-up from gram to ton. Revenue is generated through four streams: standard catalog product sales (~350 ionic liquids, ~200 nanomaterials, fluorine specialties), bespoke custom synthesis of ionic liquids and intermediates, R&D services and feasibility studies for industrial partners, and contract production from laboratory to industrial scale. Products are sold exclusively to commercial customers and research institutions (not private individuals) on a quote-based, pay-as-you-go unit pricing model, with regional sales teams covering DACH, the rest of the EU, Asia/Australia/South America/Middle East, and North America.

IoLiTec serves industrial customers in the chemical industry and academic/research institutions worldwide, with a cumulative base of nearly 6,000 customers across primary use cases in electrochemistry and energy storage (batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, electrodeposition), chemical processing (synthesis, catalysis, biomass processing, CO2 capture), materials and manufacturing (lubricants, plastics additives, heat transfer fluids), and surface technology and coatings. The company has participated in over 40 collaborative R&D projects funded by BMBF, BMWK, DBU, and the EU, holds five patent applications and three registered trademarks, and maintains strategic research partnerships with Fraunhofer ICT, Fraunhofer ISE, KIT, KU Leuven, Universität des Saarlandes, BAM, BASF, Merck, DECHEMA, and Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

Name

IoLiTec Ionic Liquids Technologies

Legal name

IoLiTec Ionic Liquids Technologies GmbH

Website

https://iolitec.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IoLiTec Ionic Liquids Technologies GmbH is a privately held German specialty chemicals company that develops, produces, and sells ionic liquids, nanomaterials, battery electrolytes, and heat transfer fluids for industrial customers and research institutions worldwide, with production at gram-to-ton scale from ISO 9001-certified facilities in Heilbronn and Schkopau.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Battery & Energy Storage High-Purity Chemicals (Electrolyte salts/solvents, additives) (IMAEAKAM)

Keywords

• Ionic liquids
• Specialty chemicals
• Nanomaterials production
• Custom chemical synthesis
• Battery electrolytes

Headquarters

HQ city

Heilbronn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Standard Product Sales: Sale of catalog ionic liquids (~350 products), nanomaterials (~200 products), and fluorine specialties from gram to multikilogram scale.
2. Custom Synthesis: Bespoke synthesis of ionic liquids and key intermediates tailored to customer specifications.
3. R&D Services and Consulting: Contract research, feasibility studies, and application development services for industrial partners.
4. Contract Production: Custom manufacturing and filling services for specialty chemicals at scales from laboratory to industrial production.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IoLiTec develops, manufactures, and sells a catalog of approximately 350 ionic liquids (imidazolium, ammonium, pyrrolidinium, pyridinium, phosphonium, and sulfonium based), 200+ nanomaterials, fluorine specialty chemicals (including 3M Novec products and the proprietary IoLiTherm heat transfer line), battery electrolyte materials, and ~30 key intermediates, available from gram to multikilogram/ton scale. The company also delivers custom synthesis and contract R&D services, including IL screening kits for rapid application development, serving industrial customers and academic research institutions worldwide.

Product overview

IoLiTec Ionic Liquids Technologies is a specialty chemicals company founded in 2003, offering a portfolio of around 350 ionic liquids, 200 nanomaterials, and fluorine specialties. The core product line consists of ionic liquids (imidazolium-based, ammonium-based, pyrrolidinium-based, pyridinium-based, phosphonium-based, and others) complemented by battery materials for lithium-ion and aluminum-ion batteries, over 200 nanomaterials, heat transfer fluids (IoLiTherm), and distributed 3M Novec fluorinated products. The company provides R&D services including custom synthesis, contract production, and screening kits. Production ranges from gram to ton scale at facilities in Heilbronn and Schkopau, Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IoLiTherm: Thermal fluids product line for heat transfer applications.
• IoLiLyte

Products and services

• Ionic Liquids (catalog) Over 350 catalog ionic liquids based on imidazolium, ammonium, pyrrolidinium, pyridinium, phosphonium, sulfonium, and piperidinium cations, sold from gram to multikilogram scale to industrial customers and research institutions for electrolytes, solvents, functional fluids, and catalysis applications.
• Battery Materials Specialty chemicals for battery applications, including ionic liquid-based electrolytes and electrode materials for lithium-ion and aluminum-ion batteries, supplied to cell developers and battery researchers.
• Nanomaterials Over 200 nanomaterials and nanomaterial dispersions, including carbon material dispersions, for industrial applications such as nanotechnology coatings and additive formulations.
• IoLiTherm Heat Transfer Fluids Proprietary heat transfer media and thermal fluids under the registered IoLiTherm trademark, supplied for thermal energy storage, transport, and conversion applications across industrial heat management.
• 3M Novec Fluorinated Specialty Products Distribution of 3M fluorinated specialty chemicals including Novec 649, Novec 7000, and related products for heat transfer and other specialty applications.
• Key Intermediates Over 30 chemical intermediates, including weakly coordinating anions, metal salts, and specialty compounds, available from gram to multikilogram scale for use in ionic liquid synthesis and downstream applications.
• IL Screening Kits Pre-formulated kits of ionic liquids curated for specific application screening, including electrochemistry, synthesis and catalysis, protein crystallization, nanomaterial dispersion, and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC).
• Custom Synthesis Services Customer-specific synthesis of ionic liquids, key intermediates, and related compounds, delivered as contract R&D projects and tailored to unique customer specifications.
• Green Reagents for Rare Earth Recovery Deep eutectic solvents and hydrophobic eutectic solvents for rare earth element recovery from e-waste and primary sources, serving EV and renewable energy sector applications.
• R&D Services and Application Consulting Contract research, feasibility studies, and application development services supporting industrial partners in selecting and qualifying ionic liquids for specific end-uses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supplied nearly 6,000 customers worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie (ICT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration with Fraunhofer ICT on various research projects including battery development and electrochemical applications. Fraunhofer ICT is part of the extensive Fraunhofer Society network IoLiTec works with.
• Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (ISE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on solar energy and photovoltaics research, including dye sensitized solar cell electrolytes and photovoltaic applications of ionic liquids.
• BASFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with major chemical company BASF on ionic liquid development and specialty chemicals.
• Universität des SaarlandescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with university for research collaboration in physical chemistry and ionic liquids applications.
• KIT (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with leading German technical university for research and development in ionic liquids technology.
• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership with leading Belgian university for ionic liquids research.
• Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with German federal materials research institute on characterization and testing of ionic liquids.
• MerckmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership with Merck for specialty chemicals and electronic materials.
• DECHEMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with DECHEMA, the German Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, on research and industry standards.
• Max Planck Institute for Plasma PhysicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on GalvanoFusion project to develop electrochemical tungsten coating for fusion reactors using ionic liquid-based electrolytes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Proionic: Austrian ionic liquids specialist offering custom synthesis and scale-up of ILs for energy storage, electrochemistry, and process applications. Closest direct peer to IoLiTec by technology, product portfolio, and target customers (R&D labs through industrial scale).
• Tokyo Chemical Industry (TCI): Japanese specialty and research chemicals catalog company with a deep offering of ionic liquids, battery materials, and custom synthesis. Comparable to IoLiTec in catalog-plus-custom synthesis model serving both research institutions and industrial buyers globally.
• Strem Chemicals: US-based specialty research chemicals catalog company offering ionic liquids, catalysts, and nanomaterials for academic and industrial customers. Highly comparable in catalog-plus-custom synthesis model and customer mix.

Broad incumbents

• Merck KGaA (Performance Materials): Global science and specialty chemicals major that is both a distribution partner and potential competitor to IoLiTec. Operates across ionic liquids, battery materials, electronic chemicals, and fluorinated products (Novec-equivalents) at much larger scale.
• BASF: World's largest chemical company with its own ionic liquids/intermediates portfolio and a long-standing co-development relationship with IoLiTec. Overlaps heavily on specialty intermediates, battery precursors, and metal recovery chemistry.
• Solvay: Belgian specialty chemicals major with battery materials, fluorinated specialties, and rare-earth-related chemistry. Comparable as a broad incumbent that could absorb ionic-liquid-based battery and metal-recovery applications at scale.
• Alfa Aesar (Thermo Fisher Scientific): Research chemicals catalog brand of Thermo Fisher offering ionic liquids, inorganic specialties, and custom synthesis. Comparable in breadth of catalog and the research/industrial dual-customer model.
• Honeywell: US conglomerate with a fluorinated specialty fluids business that competes with 3M Novec products distributed by IoLiTec. Comparable overlap on heat transfer fluids and high-purity electronic/industrial chemicals.

Regional players

• Wacker Chemie: German specialty chemicals incumbent with strong presence in silicones, polymers, and electronic chemicals. Comparable as a German-headquartered specialty chemicals producer serving similar industrial and electronics customers across Europe.
• Lanxess: German specialty chemicals company focused on performance chemicals, additives, and battery-related chemistries. Comparable as a domestic German competitor with similar industrial-customer focus and broader specialty portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/iolitec

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IoLiTec Ionic Liquids Technologies