Mattiq, a leader in clean chemistry, has announced a strategic partnership with Heraeus Precious Metals, a global expert in precious metal processing, to develop and commercialize low-iridium electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. This collaboration aims to reduce the reliance on iridium, one of the Earth’s rarest elements, and accelerate the scale-up of green hydrogen production.
Tackling a Critical Challenge in Green Hydrogen Production
Iridium is essential for PEM water electrolysis, a key technology for producing zero-carbon hydrogen. However, its scarcity poses a major bottleneck to scaling up hydrogen infrastructure. By engineering low-iridium catalysts, Mattiq and Heraeus will help improve resource efficiency and reduce costs without compromising electrolyzer performance.
Accelerating Innovation from Lab to Market
The partnership leverages Mattiq’s AI-driven catalyst discovery platform and Heraeus’ expertise in catalyst manufacturing to rapidly advance next-generation electrocatalysts from prototype to industrial-scale production. Mattiq has already completed the most comprehensive study of low-iridium catalysts for PEM electrolysis, synthesizing and testing over one million unique catalyst materials—a breakthrough that significantly outpaces previous research.
Jeff Erhardt, CEO of Mattiq, emphasized the impact of this collaboration:
“By combining Mattiq’s expertise in electrochemical systems design with Heraeus’ leadership in material development, we can accelerate the commercialization of high-performance, low-iridium catalysts. This will lower the cost of electrolyzer manufacturing and support the decarbonization of heavy industry.”
Philipp Walter, EVP of Hydrogen Systems at Heraeus Precious Metals, added:
“Mattiq has established itself as a pioneer in materials science and catalyst development. This partnership strengthens our position as a leader in electrocatalysis and accelerates our efforts in advancing the energy transition.”
Expanding Innovation in Electrocatalysis
The collaboration builds on a successful 2023 joint project, where Mattiq validated a new ruthenium-based catalyst for PEM electrolysis. Moving forward, the two companies plan to explore additional innovations in electrocatalysis, aiming to advance economically viable decarbonization across the chemical industry.
