Smoltek Nanotech Holding AB (Smoltek) has announced that its subsidiary Smoltek Hydrogen has received an order for samples of low iridium-load Porous Transport Electrodes (PTE) for PEM electrolysers. The electrodes will be used in a joint development project with Heraeus Precious Metals.
“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 electrolysers while future-proofing the use of iridium, one of the world’s rarest and most critical metals”, said Ellinor Ehrnberg, President of Smoltek Hydrogen.
The joint project represents an important step towards industrialising low-iridium PEM electrolyser 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 electrolyser cells, which will then be tested in Heraeus’s PEM cell laboratories.
The project will run through the Autumn of 2025, with a joint evaluation of the results planned for early 2026.
Smoltek’s PTEs feature an ultra-thin iridium layer of only 0.1 mg/cm² – a level of performance not known to be proven elsewhere. Combined with Heraeus’s decades of experience in PEM cell testing and deep knowledge of industrial customer requirements, the partnership provides an ideal platform to validate this breakthrough technology under realistic conditions.
“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 electrolysers,” commented Philipp Walter, Executive Vice President, Business Line Hydrogen Systems at Heraeus Precious Metals.