New Approaches to Improved PEM Electrolyzer Ion Exchange Membranes

During this Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project Tetramer will focus on increasing the performance and lowering the cost of on-site hydrogen generation by developing a higher performance proton exchange membrane for the electrolysis of water. Hydrogen generation is a promising technology for renewable energy capture as it has the capability to store massive amounts of energy in a relatively small volume and is highly flexible. With the ever-increasing addition of wind and solar renewable energy to the traditional electric grid, the need for energy storage also grows. In Europe and Japan, hydrogen is already being looked upon as a key part of the energy storage solution, providing a link between the electric grid and gas grid infrastructures.The lack of a hydrogen infrastructure is currently seen as one of the barriers to full conversion to fuel cell cars, which would need no gasoline, thus further reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Hydrogen can also be injected into the natural gas pipelines (thus making that energy carrier more green), used in the production of high value chemicals such as ammonia, or used to upgrade conversion efficiency for methanization-produced biogas. In addition, electrolysis can also provide ancillary services to the grid such as frequency regulation and load shifting. Working with Proton OnSite, a global leader in on-site hydrogen generation with over 2000 installations worldwide, Tetramers early stage Phase I results were very encouraging, demonstrating the feasibility of significantly lowering of energy costs through better performance, particularly with respect to lowering hydrogen crossover and better polarization performance. Tetramer achieved these results by focusing on synthesizing a new lower cost polymer molecular architecture. Phase II will expand on these excellent results by targeting thinner membranes with even less hydrogen crossover at higher pressures and higher durability. During Phase II, Tetramers partner, Proton OnSite, will actively participate in the testing and design of Tetramers membranes. They will then build a prototype system which will demonstrate the commercial value proposition. These activities are expected to generate 15 new jobs in South Carolina and over 100 jobs in Connecticut.