SmartMembranes

What SmartMembranes does

SmartMembranes GmbH is a German specialty manufacturer founded in 2009 and headquartered at the Weinberg Campus Technology Park in Halle (Saale), Germany. The company develops and produces high-precision macro- and nanoporous membrane structures from silicon and aluminum oxide, offering four product lines — MakroPor (porous silicon, 1–18 µm pores), LasePor (laser-structured silicon, 20–300 µm), SmartPor (aluminum oxide, 25–350 nm), and FlexiPor (asymmetric aluminum oxide, 20–200 nm) — complemented by glass and stainless steel filtration apparatus. Its core technical differentiator is exceptionally narrow pore size distribution (below 5% deviation for MakroPor; below 10% for SmartPor) with precisely tunable pore size, porosity, and membrane thickness, supported by thermal stability up to 1200°C and IR-transparent silicon substrates enabling direct spectroscopic analysis.

The company serves research institutions, environmental and water analytics laboratories (especially for microplastic analysis), industrial manufacturers in sensor, diagnostic, catalytic, and nanostructuring applications, and medical technology customers. Go-to-market is a direct B2B sales model with quote-based, customized pricing, no public list prices, and no intermediary distribution. Customer acquisition relies heavily on exhibition presence at international conferences (COMPAMED & MEDICA, SETAC, MicroSystemTechnology Congress), the IVAM Microtechnology Network partnership, and direct website inquiries. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of membranes and accessories; no software, subscription, or service revenue streams are disclosed.

SmartMembranes operates as a privately held, founder-managed GmbH with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity. The organization consists of 1–10 employees, with leadership including Dr. Monika Lelonek as CEO and Managing Director (Geschäftsführerin), Dr. Piotr Pawlik as Head of Production and R&D, and dedicated production leads for silicon and aluminum oxide operations. The company maintains an active international footprint with partnerships spanning Korea (KIAST), Japan-linked entities (Cornes Technologies), Germany (LTIS, Chipmetrics), and the IVAM microtechnology ecosystem, indicating an outward-facing commercial posture despite its small scale.

Name

SmartMembranes

Legal name

SmartMembranes GmbH

Website

https://smartmembranes.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SmartMembranes GmbH is a German manufacturer of high-precision macro- and nanoporous silicon and aluminum oxide membranes for filtration, analytics, and microplastic research, serving research institutions, environmental labs, and industrial manufacturers globally via direct B2B sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Filtration Membranes

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Separation & Filtration Equipment (Filters, Centrifuges, Membranes) (IMAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Porous silicon membranes
• Aluminum oxide membranes
• Nanoporous membrane filters
• Microplastic filtration membranes
• Macroporous silicon filters

Headquarters

HQ city

Halle An Der Saale

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Porous Membrane Products: Sale of porous silicon and aluminum oxide membranes and filters for filtration, analytics, and micro/nanostructuring applications. Products include MakroPor, LasePor, SmartPor, and FlexiPor product lines.
2. Accessories and System Solutions: Sale of filtration apparatus (glass and stainless steel) and accessories for integration into laboratory setups and analytical applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SmartMembranes develops and manufactures high-precision macro- and nanoporous membrane products made of silicon and aluminum oxide. The company offers four membrane product lines (MakroPor, LasePor, SmartPor, FlexiPor) with precisely controllable pore sizes ranging from 25 nm to 300 µm, along with laboratory filtration apparatus, serving research, industrial, environmental analytics, and medical technology customers.

Product overview

SmartMembranes develops and manufactures high-precision macro- and nanoporous membrane products made from silicon and aluminum oxide. The product portfolio consists of four main membrane product lines: MakroPor (porous silicon, 1-18 µm), LasePor (laser-structured silicon, 20-300 µm), SmartPor (aluminum oxide, 25-350 nm), and FlexiPor (asymmetric aluminum oxide, 20-200 nm). These membranes feature uniform pore structures with narrow size distributions and are used for filtration, analytical, and micro/nanostructuring applications. The product line is complemented by filtration accessories including glass and stainless steel filtration apparatus. Key application areas include microplastic filtration and analysis, environmental analytics, and research and industrial processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MakroPor: Product line of porous silicon with highly precise macropores featuring pore diameter variation below 5%, based on n-doped single-crystalline silicon. Available as free-standing membranes or one-sided closed templates.
• LasePor
• SmartPor
• FlexiPor

Products and services

• MakroPor Porous silicon membrane product line featuring highly precise macropores with defined pore sizes from 1 µm to 18 µm and exceptionally narrow pore diameter distribution (variation below 5%) that remains constant along the entire pore length. Based on n-doped single-crystalline silicon and available as free-standing membranes or templates.
• LasePor Laser-structured silicon filters designed for applications requiring large, well-defined pores and high flow rates, with conical pores adjustable from 20 µm to 300 µm. Uses high-purity double-side polished Czochralski silicon wafers and is IR-transparent for FTIR analysis.
• SmartPor Aluminum oxide membrane product line featuring round pores with highly uniform diameter (variation below 10%) and trigonal pore arrangement within aluminum grain boundaries. Pore sizes adjustable from 25 nm to 350 nm; thermally stable up to 1000°C.
• FlexiPor Nanoporous aluminum oxide membranes with asymmetric pore structure featuring two functionally different membrane surfaces — larger pores on top side for high flow and smaller pores on bottom side defining filtration cut-off. Pore sizes from 20 nm to 200 nm; hydrophilic and additive-free.
• Glass Filtration Apparatus High-quality laboratory glass filtration apparatus designed for precise and contamination-free filtration processes. Completely polymer-free construction suitable for microplastic analysis and spectroscopic sample preparation.
• Stainless Steel Filtration Apparatus Mechanically robust stainless steel filtration apparatus designed for demanding filtration applications with higher mechanical loads. Polymer-free construction enables thorough cleaning and repeated use, with reproducible controlled filtration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pore diameter variation below 5% (MakroPor) and below 10% (SmartPor) ensuring highly reproducible filtration results
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IVAM Microtechnology NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSmartMembranes is an active member of the IVAM Microtechnology Network, participating in joint exhibition booths at international trade shows and conferences. The partnership provides access to industry networking, exhibition opportunities, and collaborative marketing within the microtechnology and microsystem technology community.
• KIAST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on the SmartMembranes website, indicating collaborative relationship in technology development or knowledge exchange.
• Cornes TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on the SmartMembranes website, indicating collaborative relationship in technology or business development.
• LTIS (Laser Zentrum Hannover)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on the SmartMembranes website, indicating collaborative relationship in laser technology or related R&D.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Entegris: Entegris manufactures filtration and purification products, including membrane-based filters used in semiconductor and life-science processes. Its industrial-scale filtration offering and material expertise overlap with SmartMembranes' footprint in industrial sensor and diagnostics membrane applications.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Laboratory Products): Thermo Fisher supplies laboratory filtration products, sample-preparation consumables, and analytical instruments used by the same research and analytical customers SmartMembranes targets. Its catalog breadth across lab supplies makes it a broad incumbent competitor rather than a direct specialist.

Direct peers

• GVS Group: GVS manufactures a wide range of membrane filters (including microfiltration membranes) and filtration accessories for laboratory, medical, and industrial applications. The portfolio breadth and direct membrane filter offerings make it a comparable supplier to SmartMembranes' analytical and MedTech customer segments.
• Cytiva (formerly Whatman, GE Healthcare Life Sciences): Cytiva's Whatman product line includes Anodisc alumina membrane filters with defined pore sizes, directly competing with SmartPor and FlexiPor in laboratory alumina filtration. Both companies sell precision porous membranes to analytical labs and serve similar environmental and research customers.
• MilliporeSigma (Merck KGaA Life Science): MilliporeSigma is a leading supplier of laboratory membrane filters and filtration consumables used in analytical and life-science applications. Overlap with SmartMembranes includes polymer-free filtration solutions for sample preparation and micro-/nanoparticle analysis.
• Pall Corporation (Cytiva/Danaher): Pall manufactures industrial and laboratory filtration membranes and devices across a broad range of pore sizes and materials. Its catalog of analytical-sample-preparation filtration products is directly comparable to SmartMembranes' glass and stainless steel filtration apparatus offerings.

Regional players

• SPETEC GmbH: SPETEC is a German-based specialist supplier of porous materials, filters, and sieves used in laboratory and industrial filtration. Its regional base and focus on porous-material products make it a comparable German peer operating in adjacent membrane and filtration niches.

Emerging players

• Synkera Technologies: Synkera produces nanoporous ceramic membranes, including alumina-based structures used in filtration and sensing applications. As a smaller specialty manufacturer it parallels SmartMembranes' focus on precisely controlled pore geometries in ceramic membrane materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/149797915136969
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5277634

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 SmartMembranes