Smoltek Hydrogen enters into collaboration with Impact Coatings to evaluate opportunities for volume production
This press release is an English version of the previously published Swedish version, which has interpretive precedence.
Smoltek Nanotech Holding AB (publ) (“Smoltek” or the “Company”) announces that its subsidiary Smoltek Hydrogen has entered a strategic collaboration with Impact Coatings – a global player in PVD coating solutions. The goal is to jointly evaluate the possibilities of industrializing and scaling up Smoltek’s proprietary carbon nanofiber (CNF) technology for use in, among other things, PEM electrolyzers and fuel cells.
By combining Smoltek's well-established technology platform for manufacturing and coating carbon nanofibers (CNF) and Smoltek Hydrogen's innovative, low-iridium solutions for green hydrogen with Impact Coating's leading expertise in coating equipment for fuel cell and electrolyzer manufacturers, the conditions are created for a transition from small-scale prototypes to industrial volume production – a crucial milestone for scaling up Smoltek Hydrogen's hydrogen business.
The collaboration aims to develop a solution for industrial production, which not only verifies that the product is manufacturable, but also quickly provides Smoltek with the production capacity needed already next year. If successful, the foundation is laid for a potential future partnership based on a scalable and commercially viable production solution.
Ellinor Ehrnberg, President of Smoltek Hydrogen:
“It is incredibly gratifying that we that we seem to be able to grow fibers in Impact Coatings’ PVD tools. This represents a major step towards industrial production and opens the possibility for customers to hopefully test full-scale electrodes as early as next year.”
“This collaboration with Impact Coatings is an important opportunity to further explore the potential of our CNF technology and bring it closer to commercialization. By combining our expertise in carbon nanofibers with Impact Coatings' experience in PVD technology, we look forward to jointly exploring new avenues to improve performance in critical applications such as PEM electrolyzers and fuel cells.”
Jonas Nilsson, CEO of Impact Coatings:
“We look forward to collaborating with Smoltek Hydrogen to explore how their innovative CNF technology can complement and strengthen our offering in coating technology. Together, with our experience in PVD coatings and their cutting-edge materials, we hope to create solutions that meet future needs in hydrogen production and fuel cells.”
Focus of the collaboration
The collaboration will focus on joint research, prototyping and testing to validate Impact Coatings' technology and industrialize Smoltek's CNF technology in three strategic areas:
- PEM electrolyzers: The goal is to reduce the use of iridium and increase efficiency by improving the performance and life of the electrode (PTE).
- PEM fuel cells: The collaboration aims to reduce contact resistance (ICR) and electrochemical corrosion to improve the life and performance of fuel cells.
- Advanced carbon fiber coatings: Together, the parties will develop new industrial applications based on Smoltek’s CNF technology, which could open several future applications.
Technical verification and roadmap to market
The collaboration begins by evaluating three key areas:
- Production Technology: Assess whether Smoltek's CNF technology can be implemented in Impact Coatings' tooling and production environment
- Volume Manufacturing: Investigate how the technology can be scaled up to industrial scale
- Market Potential: Produce and test samples in collaboration with Impact Coatings' existing customer base to verify customer benefit.
The third area is particularly valuable, as it gives Smoltek access to already established industrial customer relationships.
After this initial phase of the collaboration, the aim is to be able to deepen the collaboration both technically and commercially, which strengthens Smoltek's capacity in terms of production and market development, while giving Impact Coatings the opportunity to present completely unique solutions for its hydrogen customers.