Advent Technologies Holdings announced a new contract with a prominent fuel cell manufacturer specializing in truck applications in the East Asian market. Under this contract, Advent will supply High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HT-PEM) Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs) to support the development of advanced fuel cell solutions for trucks.

The contract, signed in the second quarter of 2023 with a combined value of $1.1 million, comes after a successful testing phase of Advent’s proprietary MEA technology conducted by its customer. Starting in the second quarter of 2023, Advent will begin delivering HT-PEM MEAs, with a projected continuation of deliveries in accordance with the customer’s specified timeframe.

MEAs are the critical component of fuel cell systems and have a pivotal role in determining the overall performance, durability, efficiency, weight, and cost-effectiveness of the electrochemical products they empower.

Advent’s MEAs are designed to operate at high temperatures ranging from 120 °C to 180 °C, and offer a significant advantage to alternative solutions. For example, they enable the utilization of impure hydrogen, which can be generated onboard through the reforming of methanol, eMethanol, natural gas, and various other renewable eFuels.

Advent’s high-temperature membrane is based on pyridine-type structures incorporated around a stable polymer backbone. Advent also fabricates a polybenzimidazole (PBI)-based MEA under a license from BASF. Advent’s PBI MEA uses the same materials and assembly processes as developed by BASF for the P1100W HT-MEA and has the highest phosphoric acid content of any of the high-temperature membranes. Both materials use phosphoric acid as the electrolyte, do not need water for conductivity, and are based on polymers with excellent thermal and oxidative stability.

Advent PBI MEA

Advent’s electrochemistry components business includes electrodes, membranes, and MEAs. These components are critical for fuel cells, electrolyzers, and long-duration energy storage such as flow batteries.