LatentHeat2Comfort brings to you comfort without plug points

New Indian Express

8 hours ago

In a country where heatwaves scorch, winters bite, and electricity isn't always a guarantee, comfort often feels like a luxury — especially in rural areas, disaster zones, or power-starved urban pockets. But what if heating and cooling didn't need a power source at all? What if science could step in where infrastructure falls short?
Hyderabad-based innovator Satyanarayana Kuchibatla has been turning that 'what if' into reality with Latent Heat2Comfort, a pioneering startup that leverages the principles of thermal energy storage to create instant, electricity-free solutions for both heating and cooling. The company's technology is a testament to how simple science, applied smartly, can drive sustainable change and human resilience. Satyanarayana gives us the hot and cold picture in an insightful conversation.
Excerpts
Could you take us back to your early years — was science always a part of your childhood curiosity?
As a child, I enthusiastically participated in science exhibitions and developed unique models. I was very fortunate to have always had phenomenal mentors, be it for my school summer project on how seawater influences corrosion of steel, to my doctoral thesis on why two different bottles consisting of the same nanoparticles have different colours. All my projects were driven by curiosity, unlike most cases where a predefined problem is solved.
My deep interest in science motivated me to do a master's degree in particulate materials from IIT Bombay and a PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of Central Florida. I bring years of research experience and training with a broad focus on surfaces and interfaces — understanding, controlling, and tuning the characteristics of materials that have an impact on nuclear energy, fuel cells, gas sensors, self-healing, radiation protection materials, and nanoparticles for biomedical applications.