OEM INTEGRATION
OEM INTEGRATIONOur NiCo Electrode for Stack OEM Integration
A bifunctional bi-metallic NiCo catalyst on 100 to 1000 cm2 Ni foam, electroless-deposited, with HER and OER overpotentials measured at 80 and 260 mV at 100 mA/cm2 (no IR correction) and 1000-hour cell-level stability in an AEM test cell with a commercial Zirfon separator.
Polarization (RT vs 60 °C)
TESTBEDBifunctional reduces stack BOM
The same coated electrode operates as both HER cathode and OER anode in the published 5 cm2 AEM test cell. One electrode SKU on both sides of every cell.
Stable for 1000 hours under steady industrial load
Continuous 1000-hour run at 0.5 A/cm2 and 40 deg C with the bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides and a commercial Zirfon separator. Voltage degradation rate: 21 uV/hr.
Validated under dynamic operating profiles
9 continuous days of solar-derived cycling and 100 hours of wind-derived cycling have been applied to the same bifunctional NiCo electrode in the AEM cell. DeltaV after the 100-hour wind run is 20 mV at 0.5 A/cm2.
Scales from 5 cm2 to 1000 cm2
Electroless deposition has been applied to Ni foam from 100 to 1000 cm2. Bench-scale qualification at 5 cm2 (the size used in the published test cell) and pilot-scale cells can both be supported from the same product line.
What OEMs receive
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode is a bi-metallic transition-metal catalyst deposited on Ni foam (100 to 1000 cm2) via electroless deposition. The same coated electrode operates as both HER cathode and OER anode at 80 mV HER overpotential and 260 mV OER overpotential at 100 mA/cm2 in 30 wt% KOH, measured without IR correction.
Samples can be supplied in coupons that match a stack designer's evaluation cell. Bench-scale qualification typically begins at 5 cm2 (matching the size used in our published test cell) before scaling up to the OEM's production cell footprint.
0.5 A/cm2 @ 60 deg C
0.5 A/cm2 @ RT
1.0 A/cm2 @ 60 deg C
Cell-level performance with commercial Zirfon separator
In the 5 cm2 AEM test cell with our bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides, 30 wt% KOH, zero-gap assembly, and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 um), the cell reaches 0.5 A/cm2 at 1.81 V at room temperature (82% energy efficiency) and 1.62 V at 60 deg C (91.4%). At 1.0 A/cm2, cell voltage measured 2.05 V at room temperature and 1.79 V at 60 deg C.
These are the baseline numbers OEMs can reproduce against on their own cells using the same conditions. The published numbers were measured with a commercial Zirfon separator as the membrane reference.
1000-hour durability bar
A continuous 1000-hour chronopotentiometry at 0.5 A/cm2 and 40 deg C in 30 wt% KOH was performed with our bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides of a 5 cm2 AEM cell and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 um). The cell voltage drifted by just 21 uV/hr over the full run. Before/after linear-sweep curves differ by 30 mV at 0.5 A/cm2.
For stack OEMs, this provides a measured durability baseline that any candidate electrode must clear in qualification testing. The same operating-point voltage curve we report is the one against which third-party measurements can be compared.
- Run conditions: 0.5 A/cm2, 40 deg C, 30 wt% KOH, AEM cell, zero-gap, commercial Zirfon separator
- Voltage degradation rate: 21 uV/hr
- DeltaV before/after LSV: 30 mV at 0.5 A/cm2
Dynamic-load envelope
In addition to the steady-load 1000-hour run, the same bifunctional NiCo electrode was tested in the AEM cell under PV-irradiance-derived dynamic current schedules for 9 continuous days. Current density peaked near 570 mA/cm2 during the daily maxima. No major changes were observed after 9 cycles.
Wind-speed variation data over 100 hours was converted to a current-density schedule spanning 0 to 0.78 A/cm2 and applied to the same cell. Linear-sweep curves recorded before and after the wind run differ by 20 mV at 0.5 A/cm2.
PV-derived current profile
9 DAYSWind-derived current profile
100 HRIntegration with the IONZERA membrane
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode is offered alongside IONZERA, our own next-generation separator membrane. The two products are sold independently. OEMs evaluating both at once can request matched samples and reproduce the same operating conditions across both qualifications using their own test rig.
The published electrode numbers on this page used a commercial Zirfon separator (500 um) as the membrane reference, not IONZERA. Pairing tests with IONZERA have not been published; OEMs running them are welcome to share results.
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SPECS
Frequently asked questions
Why use a bifunctional NiCo electrode for electrolyser stack oem integration?
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode operates as both HER cathode and OER anode at 80 mV and 260 mV overpotential at 100 mA/cm² in 30 wt% KOH (no IR correction). For electrolyser stack oem integration, using a single electrode SKU on both sides simplifies stack BOM and qualification.
What cell-level performance is published?
In a 5 cm² AEM cell with bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 µm) at zero-gap, the cell logs 0.5 A/cm² at 1.81 V at room temperature (82% efficiency) and 1.62 V at 60 °C (91.4%). At 1.0 A/cm²: 2.05 V at RT and 1.79 V at 60 °C.
What is the stability baseline?
Continuous 1000-hour chronopotentiometry at 0.5 A/cm² and 40 °C in 30 wt% KOH (bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides, commercial Zirfon separator) showed voltage drift of 21 µV/hr. Before/after linear-sweep polarization curves differ by 30 mV at the operating point.
Is the electrode validated for renewable-coupled operation?
Yes. PV-irradiance-derived current schedules applied for 9 continuous days (peaks ~570 mA/cm²) and wind-variation-derived schedules for 100 hours (0 to 0.78 A/cm²) on the same cell. ΔV at 0.5 A/cm² before and after the 100-hour wind run: 20 mV.
What substrate sizes ship?
The bifunctional NiCo electrode is produced on Ni foam in the 100 to 1000 cm² size range. Bench-scale 5 cm² coupons matching the published test cell are also available so customers can reproduce numbers on their own rig before scaling up.
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