The joint project rep­re­sents an impor­tant step towards indus­tri­al­iz­ing low-irid­i­um PEM elec­trolyz­er tech­nol­o­gy. In the project, the two com­pa­nies will joint­ly spec­i­fy pro­to­type PTEs for Smoltek Hydro­gen to pro­duce. Her­aeus will inte­grate the PTEs with mem­brane and cat­a­lyst into full PEM elec­trolyz­er cells, which will then be test­ed in Heraeus’s state-of-the-art PEM cell laboratories.

“This project is the basis for a strate­gi­cal­ly impor­tant col­lab­o­ra­tion between Smoltek Hydro­gen and Her­aeus. Togeth­er, we are test­ing a prod­uct that could rede­fine PEM elec­trolyz­ers while future-proof­ing the use of irid­i­um, one of the world’s rarest and most crit­i­cal metals,”

Elli­nor Ehrn­berg, Pres­i­dent of Smoltek Hydrogen

The project will run through the fall of 2025, with a joint eval­u­a­tion of the results planned for ear­ly 2026.

“Smoltek’s elec­trodes with ultra-thin irid­i­um lay­ers hold great promise, and we are eager to see the results. By com­bin­ing our glob­al exper­tise in mate­ri­als and test­ing with Smoltek Hydrogen’s inno­v­a­tive tech­nol­o­gy, we aim to accel­er­ate the tran­si­tion to next-gen­er­a­tion PEM electrolyzers,”

Philipp Wal­ter, Exec­u­tive Vice Pres­i­dent, Busi­ness Line Hydro­gen Sys­tems at Her­aeus Pre­cious Metals

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• Read the offi­cial press release: Smoltek Hydro­gen and Her­aeus Pre­cious Met­als launch joint devel­op­ment project in hydro­gen technology