InteliSpark client, Ecolectro Inc. has been awarded a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) for their Phase I project, “Ultrastable Phosphonium-Based Alkaline Exchange Membranes for Solar Fuels Generators”.
Current membranes that have been developed are for electrolyzes and fuel cells, but are not optimized for solar fuel generators whereas the requirements are different. Currently, companies working on solar fuel generators are using commercially available proton exchange membranes or alkaline exchange membranes that were developed for fuel cell and electrolyzer operation. Ecolectro plans to use their proprietary chemical building blocks to tailor alkaline exchange membranes for solar fuels generators. The membranes tailored will have the necessary cross-over, conductivity and durability to achieve high-performance in solar fuels generators. The chemistry and membranes developed herein have significant commercial applications in the hydrogen space in both fuel cell and electrolyzer applications. The use of these chemistries will enable the manufacturers of solar fuels generators, fuel cells and electrolyzers to decrease their cost and bring these materials to market.