By VSParticle
Scaling PEM water electrolysis depends on reducing iridium use without compromising performance, durability,or manufacturability.VSParticle develops highly porous catalyst layers with ultra-low iridium loading,which are deposited directly onto porous transport layers via a dry, binder-free process. This enables more efficient use of iridium, simpler electrode manufacturing, and a scalable pathway toward lower-cost PEM electrolyzers. What VSPARTICLE enables for PEM electrolyzer OEMs Lower catalyst cost and supply risk Reduce iridium loading by up to 90%, lowering precious-metal costs and exposure to price volatility and supply constraints. High performance at ultra-low iridium loading Deliver performance and durability comparable to industrial benchmarks while using substantially less iridium. Improve iridium recovery and recycling Binder- and ionomer-free catalyst layers make iridium easier to separate and recover, reducing material losses and supporting more circular use of a critical raw material. Overcome CCM scalability constraints Dry, binder-free deposition directly onto titanium porous transport layers enables a PTE architecture, avoiding the handling and manufacturing challenges associated with coating increasingly large and thin membranes. Support gigawatt-scale PEM electrolyzer manufacturing PTE-ready catalyst coatings are designed for scalable production, helping OEMs reduce iridium dependency, lower system costs and progress toward cost-competitive green hydrogen and DOE 1-1-1 targets. The Iridium bottleneck: use less, recycle more Iridium is scarce, expensive and sourced from a highly concentrated supply chain. High catalyst loadings increase stack cost and limit the scalability of PEM electrolysis. Recycling is also difficult when iridium is mixed with binders and ionomers. VSPARTICLE addresses both challenges through a dry, binder-free deposition process that produces highly porous catalyst layers at ultra-low iridium loadings. This improves catalyst utilization, reduces material demand and keeps iridium more accessible for recovery and recycling. The scale-up challenge of catalyst-coated membranes As PEM electrolyzer active areas grow and membranes become thinner, CCM production becomes harder to control. Large, flexible membranes are difficult to coat and handle without wrinkling, stretching or damage, while liquid catalyst inks can cause swelling and dimensional changes that affect coating uniformity. VSPARTICLE enables depositing binder-free iridium nanoparticles directly onto the Porous Transport Layer (PTL). The PTL provides a stable surface for uniform coating, supports lower iridium loading, easier component handling and more scalable electrode manufacturing. Ready to scale low-iridium PEM electrodes? We offer solutions to PEM electrolyzer developers and stack manufacturers to reduce iridium utilization, improve catalyst efficiency,and scale advanced electrode production through a dry, binder-free deposition process.
