Public Funding for Amalyst Limited

Amalyst has a class of non-platinum, high-performance catalysts for fuel cell and water electrolysers. Working with Sainergy Fuel Cell India and IIT-Madras, the consortium will tackle the cathode challenges for fuel cells by developing a low-cost, high-performance membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) utilising AMCAT catalyst. The technology is first targeting back-up power generation for the burgeoning Indian telecom tower industry. Mobile devices have been a transformative social phenomenon in India over the last decade, but access to the “connected world” is still intermittent as most telecom towers require on-site diesel power generators with high operation costs and high carbon emissions. Stationary fuel cells offer a green alternative to diesel power generation with both huge market potential and huge benefits throughout Indian society – benefits like social inclusivity, telecommunication integrity and carbon-emission reductions demanded by the Indian government. The outcome will be a new low-cost and high-performance MEA ready for deployment in India and poised to help accelerate the uptake of hydrogen as a carbon-free, 21st century energy vector globally.

Amalyst will develop a low cost, non-Pt fuel cell cathode catalyst using its platform non-Pt electrocatalyst technology.

Amalyst has developed a class of low-cost, high-performance catalysts for fuel cell anodes and water electrolyser cathodes that are designed as ‘drop-in’ replacements for platinum. Following on the initial success of a TSB Feasibility Study for their fuel cell product, Amalyst will lead a project to further develop its class of catalysts focusing on whole-life cost reductions in water electrolyser application. ITM Power will validate the ‘drop-in’ credentials of the Amalyst catalyst by fabricating full-sized catalyst coated membranes using its existing production equipment. Short-term evaluations will lead to a preferred catalyst being selected for validation in a pilot-scale version of ITM's production electrolyser. In parallel, UCL will develop accelerated stress tests (ASTs) for water electrolysers to complement those developed for the fuel cell sector. The successful completion of the project will create a platform to greatly accelerate the adoption of the Amalyst catalysts in these markets as well as initiate a much-needed standardisation discussion within the electrolyser industry for accelerated durability testing.

Amalyst (UK) and Advent Technologies (Greece) will collaborate to meet the cost and performance challenges for high temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells (HT-PEFCs). This project will explore the feasibility of a business-to-business technology integration between the Amalyst low-cost, “drop-in” replacement for platinum catalyst and the proprietary high temperature polymer membrane developed by Advent Technologies. During the project Amalyst will tailor its low-cost, high-performance catalyst for use in the HT-PEFC application and Advent Technologies will use their manufacturing expertise to incorporate the catalyst into their proprietary MEAs and rigorously evaluate them. The result will be a tailored catalyst with significant cost and operational advantages over today’s platinum anode electrode in the HT-PEFC and phosphoric acid fuel cell sector.

There are significant opportunities to stimulate the UK economy through innovations in PEM fuel cell and water electrolyser technologies for stationary & portable power, micro-CHP, FCEVs, on-site industrial electrolysis, hydrogen refuelling and renewable energy balancing. A major constraint for greater market adoption is system cost, particularly as large amounts of platinum are used on the electrodes to provide the core energy conversion function. Development of a non-platinum catalyst with comparable performance at lower cost that integrates into existing electrode manufacturing processes has been achieved by Amalyst. This feasibility study aims to explore partnerships with PV3 Technologies to scale-up the production of the Amalyst catalyst and ACAL Energy to evaluate the material in their proprietary fuel cell architecture.