Ecolectro’s New Technology Increases Fuel Cell Membrane Production 15X

Ithaca, NY, September 16, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Chosen by the National Science Foundation for a Small Business Innovation Research grant, Ecolectro was able to use the funds to increase production of its fuel cell membranes fifteen-fold while also decreasing the time requirement by half. “Our goal is to reduce the cost and increase the durability of fuel cells, and now our production process is greatly expanded,” says CEO Gabriel Rodríguez-Calero.

Ecolectro’s membranes eliminate the need for platinum in fuel cells, which is a big contributor to cost. Through a series of innovative process improvements, the Ecolectro science team was able to streamline and increase production and decrease purification steps. “The improved synthetic method for our innovative polyelectrolyte membranes reduces the overall systems cost of fuel cell Membrane-Electrode-Assemblies (MEAs) and moves our technology one step closer to commercial development in cars,” said Chief Science Officer, Dr. Kristina Hugar.

Ecolectro develops structurally robust and highly conductive polymer membranes for a range of applications, including electrolysis and fuel cell systems that not only improve performance but also dramatically decrease costs. Ecolectro’s anion exchange membranes (AEM) enable the replacement of platinum catalysts with non-precious metal alternatives within electrolyzer and fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies. Fuel cells and electrolyzers manufactured using this technology can be potentially produced at half the cost of current state-of-the-art systems while promising to double durability.

www.ecolectro.com