Metacon has secured EU funding for a 24 month research programme developing anion exchange membrane water electrolysis, with work covering catalyst materials, electrode design, membrane durability and a 0.5kW test stack.
The company’s Greek subsidiary, Metacon SA, will participate in the AMEL programme, formally titled Green Hydrogen Advancement: Pioneering Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer Solutions. Metacon’s project budget is €130,407, of which €104,326 will be covered by public funding, giving the work an 80% funding rate.
Research will target electrical efficiency above 80% alongside stable operation under steady load and repeated starting and stopping. Metacon will also investigate catalysts for the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions that avoid critical raw materials and precious metals such as platinum and iridium, linking energy performance with the material choices used inside the cell.
AEM electrolysis combines an anion conducting membrane with alkaline operating conditions, placing it between the characteristics of conventional alkaline and proton exchange membrane systems. Traditional alkaline electrolysers use a liquid alkaline electrolyte and mature electrode materials, while PEM systems use a solid polymer membrane and can operate at high current densities but generally depend on platinum group metals because of their acidic chemistry.
Maintaining alkaline conditions creates scope for a wider range of catalyst materials, which can reduce dependence on scarce and expensive metals if the rest of the cell remains durable. Membrane stability, electrode architecture and catalyst performance therefore have to develop together because lower material cost has limited value if electrical resistance rises quickly or the stack requires frequent replacement.
During electrolysis, electrical energy splits water through coupled reactions that produce hydrogen at one electrode and oxygen at the other. Ionic transport through the membrane maintains charge balance, while reaction losses, electrical resistance and mass transport through the electrodes all add to the energy required for each unit of hydrogen produced.
The AMEL programme consequently combines catalyst work with membrane and electrode development rather than optimising one component in isolation. A catalyst that reduces reaction losses can still be constrained by a membrane with high resistance, while a durable membrane provides little benefit if electrode behaviour prevents the stack operating efficiently at useful current density.
Those components will be brought together in a 0.5kW stack and test unit so changes can be assessed under common operating conditions. The scale is large enough to expose interactions between cells, seals, flow distribution and controls while remaining small enough for researchers to modify materials and operating parameters between test campaigns.
Repeated starting and stopping is included because electrolysers connected with variable renewable generation may spend substantial periods away from one stable operating point. Changes in available electricity can force the stack to reduce load, shut down and restart, producing repeated shifts in temperature, pressure and electrochemical conditions.
Those cycles can accelerate degradation in membranes, seals, catalyst layers and electrode interfaces, particularly where expansion, contraction or changes in hydration are repeated over many operating events. Testing under both steady operation and cycling should therefore show whether materials that perform well at constant load retain the same behaviour under a power profile closer to renewable generation.
Metacon already works with pressurised alkaline electrolysis and PEM technology, so AEM adds another development route to a portfolio that spans several methods of producing hydrogen electrochemically. The company is also developing larger alkaline systems for industrial applications, giving the research team an existing base in stack design, gas handling and balance of plant engineering.
Commercial AEM systems will have to combine the lower material cost made possible by alkaline chemistry with operating life and electrical consumption that remain competitive against more established technologies. Excess energy use would erode savings achieved through cheaper catalysts, while short stack life would increase replacement cost and plant downtime.
Membrane performance sits at the centre of that relationship because the material must conduct hydroxide ions while separating the product gases and retaining chemical and mechanical integrity. Degradation can increase resistance, lower efficiency or compromise separation between hydrogen and oxygen, making membrane durability inseparable from both safety and operating cost.
The programme’s efficiency target provides one measurable benchmark, while extended operation and cycling will show whether that performance can be retained as the materials age. Results from the 0.5kW stack can then guide further development towards larger systems if the combination of catalyst availability, membrane durability and electrical efficiency remains stable across the planned 24 month programme.
