Ionomr Innovations' Pemion® hydrocarbon-based proton exchange membrane and polymer exceed industry durability targets

USA - English

• USA - English
• España - español
• Deutschland - Deutsch

Pemion^® affirms itself as a viable and advantageous option to conventional per-fluorinated materials

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 19, 2023  /PRNewswire/ - Ionomr Innovations Inc.'s Pemion^® has achieved performance and durability testing results that surpass internationally recognized standards from the US Department of Energy (US DOE) and Hydrogen Europe, confirming the company's proprietary hydrocarbon-based proton exchange membrane and polymer is ready for widespread heavy-duty fuel cell applications.

The Pemion^® membrane was tested for and met established accelerated durability benchmarks for combined chemical and mechanical stress testing. Throughout 1,000 hours of cyclical testing that exposed the membrane to intermittent dry and wet conditions under high-voltage chemical stress, Pemion^® exceeded the internationally recognized 20,000 cycle durability targets set by the US DOE for polymer electrolyte membranes by more than two-fold.

As far as the company is aware, Pemion^® is the first hydrocarbon-based membrane to ever pass these tests.

Pemion^® is used in fuel cell applications including heavy-duty transport, automotive, and stationary power.

The materials have been designed to provide superior chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability, high conductivity, operational durability, and efficiency, all of which dramatically reduce the unit cost of the fuel cell.

• Pemion^® materials' gains in performance and reductions in gas crossover result in a significant reduction in lifetime hydrogen fuel cell cost.
• Alongside improved fuel efficiency, the lifetime of the fuel cell is enhanced due to reduced degradation.
• Higher operating temperatures are possible for higher power stacks with improved cooling and heat rejection.
• Pemion^® boasts one of the highest room temperature proton conductivities available under a variety of conditions, while maintaining its mechanical stability, allowing implementation in diverse systems from light to heavy-duty, and beyond.

"This testing confirms Pemion^® as a differentiator for fuel cell manufacturers looking to overcome the challenges of a tight supply market for conventional polymer and membrane materials, without any trade-offs to lifetime or performance," said Ionomr CEO, Bill Haberlin.  "Fluorinated materials such as those currently used in fuel cells are good at what they do, but they require toxic and highly regulated chemicals to be produced. As regulations continue to tighten, fuel cell and stack manufacturers will need to find practical material replacements. Pemion^®'s performance and durability record and environmentally benign hydrocarbon-base create a step-change alternative."

Ionomr Innovations is revolutionizing electrochemistry with newly developed ion-exchange membranes and polymers for clean energy. Ionomr's Pemion^® and Aemion^® technologies provide cost, performance and sustainability advantages for fuel cells, hydrogen production and carbon capture, use and conversion. Leveraging technology developed at Simon Fraser University, Ionomr was founded in 2018, and employs 45 professionals in Vancouver, Canada and Rochester, New York. For more information about how Ionomr is helping to advance the clean energy economy, visit www.ionomr.com.

Media Contact: Nancy McHarg, | [email protected] | (604) 760.4366
Business Contact: Andrew Belletti | [email protected] | (604) 628.6098

SOURCE Ionomr Innovations Inc.