[ industry update ]
Chemours to expand Nafion™ ion exchange material production in France Chemours has announced a USD 200 million investment to increase capacity and advance technology for its Nafion™ ion exchange materials , to be located at the company ’ s manufacturing facility in Villers-Saint-Paul , France .
This investment builds on the company ’ s existing efforts in the U . S . to have a reliable supply chain and robust capacity to enable the hydrogen economy . It will support growing market demand for clean hydrogen generation using water electrolyzers , energy storage in flow batteries , and hydrogen conversion to power fuel cell vehicles , and contribute to European and broader global efforts to enable the clean energy transition . As part of the investment , the capabilities of Chemours ’ regional manufacturing site will be expanded to support and advance technological progress and new products for the worldwide hydrogen economy .
The investment is subject to obtaining all customary permits and licenses necessary for the construction and operations at the 40-hectare Villers- Saint-Paul site , which will include the expansion of ionomer production and associated membranes to deliver additional capacity in the Nafion™ materials supply chain .
Ionomr ’ s Pemion ® membrane and polymer exceed industry durability targets
Ionomr Innovations ’ Pemion ® has achieved performance and durability testing results that surpass internationally recognized standards from the US Department of Energy and Hydrogen Europe , confirming the company ’ s 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 highvoltage 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 .
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 .
Bill Haberlin , CEO of Ionomr , said : “ 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 .”
Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 8 | February 2023 7