Tech and business validation towards market readiness of high-performance PFSA-free intermetallic Pt-alloy membrane electrode assemblies for PEMFCs: Enabling next-gen hydrogen-based transport

Project Information

ENABLER

Grant agreement ID: 101112991

DOI

10.3030/101112991

Project closed

EC signature date 24 March 2023

Start date 1 June 2023

End date 30 November 2025

Funded under

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Total cost

€ 2 495 900,00

EU contribution

€ 2 495 900,00

Coordinated by

RECATALYST, RAZVOJ, PROIZVODNJA IN PRODAJA KATALIZATORSKIH KOMPOZITOV, D.O.O.
Slovenia

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ENABLER (Tech and business validation towards market readiness of high-performance PFSA-free intermetallic Pt-alloy membrane electrode assemblies for PEMFCs: Enabling next-gen hydrogen-based transport)

Reporting period: 2024-06-01 to 2025-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Hydrogen is a key renewable energy carrier replacing fossil fuels in the energy and transport sectors. As outlined in the EU Hydrogen Strategy under the European Green Deal, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) offer viable decarbonisation solutions where alternative technologies are insufficient. However, increasing platinum demand and the EU’s strong dependency on platinum imports represent major challenges for green hydrogen deployment. Large-scale commercialisation of PEMFC technology requires a significant reduction of platinum content per vehicle to levels comparable with internal combustion engine technologies. In parallel, the use of fluoropolymers in conventional PEMFC membranes and ionomers hinders mass adoption due to the high environmental burden of their synthesis and degradation, including persistent PFAS substances.

ReCatalyst has developed proprietary platinum-alloy electrocatalyst technologies enabling higher performance and improved durability. ionysis integrates these catalysts into membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) based on novel fluorine-free materials. The collaboration between ionysis and ReCatalyst builds on long-standing scientific cooperation predating the company foundations, including joint publications and research exchanges between the University of Freiburg, Hahn-Schickard and the Slovenian National Institute of Chemistry. Since 2020, this cooperation has laid the groundwork for the ENABLER EIC Transition project.

The objective of ENABLER was to develop and validate fluorine-free MEAs exceeding state-of-the-art performance and durability benchmarks. To assess performance under application-relevant conditions, EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies GmbH joined the consortium as an associated partner, enabling evaluation at fuel cell stack level. In parallel, the project implemented commercialisation-oriented activities to accelerate market readiness and shorten time to deployment.

ENABLER demonstrated a next-generation fuel cell short stack with reduced platinum content and free of perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA) compounds without compromising performance. The technology development was complemented by business development activities to support early market uptake. The project laid the foundation for broader exploitation of hydrogen power by enabling more efficient use of platinum as a critical raw material and by exploiting the potential of innovative hydrocarbon materials.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In the first project year, technology development focused on catalyst optimisation at ReCatalyst, including metal loading on carbon supports, metal ratios, post-treatment, carbon support selection, and evaluation with hydrocarbon and PFSA ionomers. During the initial six months, ionysis conducted market research on ionomer availability, with emphasis on hydrocarbon materials. A key milestone was reached in month 12 with the submission of a DEMO demonstrating a platform ready for full-size cell integration at ionysis. ReCatalyst also established a robust QC process for batch validation. EKPO has not yet integrated and validated the components at industrial level, as these activities were scheduled for the next reporting period. ReCatalyst and ionysis also progressed the techno-economic analysis.
During the second reporting period, ENABLER focused on scale-up, integration and industrial validation of catalyst, CCM and MEA technologies, transitioning from laboratory development to stack-relevant demonstration. Activities concentrated on reactor-based catalyst production, CCM manufacturing scale-up, quality control implementation, and validation in large-area single cells and short stacks under industrially relevant conditions. These results go beyond component-level validation and demonstrate scalability, compatibility and readiness for industrial qualification.
The successful combination of scaled catalyst production, PFSA-free CCM integration and short-stack validation confirms technical feasibility, performance, durability and manufacturability, providing a strong basis for post-project industrial deployment and representing the main project outcomes.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The ENABLER project delivered results beyond the state of the art in PEM fuel cell technology by jointly addressing performance, cost, scalability and environmental sustainability at system-relevant scale. It demonstrated that substantial platinum reduction and PFAS elimination can be achieved simultaneously without compromising performance or durability.

Advanced Pt-based catalysts with significantly higher performance and platinum utilisation than commercial benchmarks were developed, enabling stack-level platinum reductions of roughly 55% while maintaining high current density operation. The catalysts were reproducibly produced in pilot-scale reactors, supporting transfer towards semi-industrial manufacturing. At CCM and MEA level, ENABLER demonstrated large-area PFSA-free and PFSA-reduced CCMs with performance comparable to or exceeding state-of-the-art PFSA systems, using scalable coating processes and industrially compatible quality control.

Together, these results enable a step-change in PEMFC cost and sustainability. Reduced platinum usage and higher current density allow ~20% electrode area reduction, translating into potential stack cost reductions of up to 45% at economies of scale, while PFSA elimination reduces reliance on persistent PFAS substances. Further industrial-scale demonstration, extended durability validation, secure PFSA-free material supply chains, engagement with regulatory body and access to scale-up finance are required to enable market uptake.

Final project meeting hosted by EKPO GmbH.

At the start of the project, ReCatalyst visited ionysis GmbH laboratory.

A tour of ReCatalyst's demo facilities during the project meeting in Ljubljana.