ionysis GmbH stands for highly efficient, emission-free and sustainable core components for fuel cells and electrolysers. The Freiburg-based start-up has now announced the successful production of its first scalable HT-PEMFC prototype membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), which, according to ionysis, represents an important milestone for its in-house pilot product portfolio. The development took place as part of the ‘105scaled’ project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), which was initiated jointly by ionysis and its research partners Hahn-Schickard and the University of Freiburg. The ‘105scaled’ project will run until June 2026 and aims to bring hydrocarbon-based MEAs significantly closer to market launch.

Based on initial activities at the University of Freiburg, ionysis has transferred and optimised the MEA laboratory concepts to scalable coating processes, enabling the manufacture of HTPEMF MEAs for future industrial production. Performance testing of the newly developed single cells showed convincing results: under typical operating conditions at a cell temperature of 160 degrees Celsius without external gas humidification and a back pressure of 150 kilopascals, typical industry benchmarks for state-of-the-art HT-PEMFC membrane electrode assemblies – over one ampere per square centimetre at 0.6 volts – were achieved. This represents a significant step forward for ionysis in the commercialisation of novel high-temperature fuel cell solutions that support both decarbonisation and sustainable material innovations.

"Together with the university team, we have laid the foundation for novel HT-PEMFC prototypes, and at ionysis we have transferred the MEA design to high-performance catalyst materials and scalable production processes. The next step is to field test these prototypes. We are actively looking for validation partners to test our novel prototypes," said Dr Matthias Breitwieser, CTO of ionysis.

The Freiburg-based start-up ionysis commenced operations in September 2022 and has grown to a team of 26 employees by early 2026. The basis for this spin-off from Hahn-Schickard and the University of Freiburg was created through several publicly funded research projects. The company secured start-up financing from two strategic partners. ISO 9001 certification was issued by DEKRA.