Calicat Breaks the 2V Barrier with Zero-Iridium PEM Electrolyzer Catalyst

Calicat Breaks the 2V Barrier with Zero-Iridium PEM Electrolyzer Catalyst

Longstanding 2V overpotential challenge for durable non-iridium OER catalysts finally falls, charting a path to cost reductions in Green Hydrogen.

CHATSWORTH, Calif., February 12, 2025–(BUSINESS WIRE)–California Catalysts (Calicat), a leader in advanced materials for electrolysis, announced at the Clean Tech Forum a landmark achievement for generation 3 of its flagship product, the Amplifier zero-iridium PEMwe OER catalyst, which has achieved an unprecedented activity milestone of 2 Volts at a current density over 2 A/cm². This breakthrough performance represents a long-sought step change in the pursuit of cost-effective Green Hydrogen production.

Efforts to eliminate iridium from PEM electrolyzers have long been hindered by trade-offs between activity and durability. While many non-iridium catalysts (such as ruthenium) have shown sub-2V initial activity, they experience unacceptable voltage drift under real-world current densities. Amplifier stands apart by delivering both exceptional performance and durability. In a still-running durability experiment, Amplifier has achieved over 15,000 hours of operation with an industry-leading voltage drift of just 4 µV/hr.

Green Hydrogen is a critical pillar for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, but the industry’s reliance on scarce and expensive materials has created a bottleneck for widespread adoption. Compounding issues, the lack of domestic supply for iridium has resulted in untenable price volatility spikes in the last 5 years. Amplifier addresses these twin challenges head-on, finally delivering a domestically available catalyst that produces lower-levelized-cost Hydrogen when coupled directly to renewable energy sources.

Jourdan Urbach, CEO of Calicat, said :

Achieving this level of performance is not just a technological milestone but an industry-defining moment,

“Amplifier Gen 3 represents the commercialization of four years of rigorous R&D, leveraging AI-driven material discovery and high-throughput experimentation to eliminate our sector’s looming rare metals threat. By delivering iridium-beating durability alongside high activity, we are empowering our customers to plan their Green Hydrogen ambitions unburdened by price volatility.”

Tokyo Gas, one of the largest city gas providers in the world, aims to achieve 50% carbon neutrality in both local gas supply and power operations by 2040. The company is actively developing core components for water electrolysis systems that reduce the cost of hydrogen production and improve durability, including catalyst coated membranes. An R&D Engineer at Tokyo Gas commended Calicat’s performance breakthrough as a crucial milestone for commercialization:

We are excited to enter joint development of Amplifier catalyst-coated membranes in 2025 with our longstanding partners at Calicat.

As previously reported, Tokyo Gas joined Calicat’s most recent fundraising round through its corporate venture arm Acario, headquartered in Silicon Valley.

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