PRESS RELEASE | Ionix and Rockland launch innovative HiPOS project to advance ocean sensing

17 September 2025

Ionix Advanced Technologies (UK) and Rockland Scientific International (Canada) have been awarded a prestigious grant by Innovate UK (project number 10160091) and iRAP to launch a collaborative R&D project to develop High-Strength Piezoelectric Ocean Sensors (HiPOS).
The project, which will develop and integrate innovative high-strength piezoelectric sensor materials developed by Ionix, marks an exciting step forward not only for oceanographic measurements but for climate change research and renewable energy monitoring.
Many solid-state actuators and sensors rely on lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a ubiquitous piezoelectric material. While the use of PZT in piezoelectric sensing devices is well established, this material is brittle and prone to failure, leading to issues with reliability and longevity. A host of mitigation strategies are required to overcome the long-term stability issues of PZT, leading to bulky, inefficient solutions.
Ionix Advanced Technologies’ unique family of high-performance piezoelectric materials, HPZ, exhibit high strength and toughness, making them compatible with deep sea systems. Rockland Scientific specializes in the measurement of microstructure turbulence to help scientific measure ocean mixing. This parameter is paramount in understanding the Ocean’s role as a carbon and heat sink, in melting ice caps, distributing
nutrients and much more.
Together, Ionix and Rockland will design and develop an innovative robust product, tailored for use in oceanographic sensors, opening new markets to the project partners. This technological improvement will play a key role in helping scientists understand and fight climate change. The project is due for completion March 2027.