Ionomr Advances Clean Energy Economy with Launch of ‘Revolutionary’ Material at Scale

Ionomr Innovations is advancing the clean energy economy by creating a new clean membrane industry.

The Vancouver startup is advancing the development and manufacturing of ion-exchange membranes and polymers for energy storage and clean energy generation. Ionomr’s technologies provide cost, performance and sustainability advantages for fuel cells, hydrogen production, energy storage, advanced batteries, and carbon capture processes.

This month, the BC-based startup-to-watch released a hydrocarbon-based proton exchange membrane and polymer, which it believes marks “a revolutionary advance in materials for green hydrogen fuel cell applications for heavy-duty industry.”

“Governments and regulators across Europe, in the U.S., indeed around the world, are rightly calling for the elimination of toxic, perfluorinated materials,” explains Ionomr CEO Bill Haberlin.

Haberlin’s new “Pemion” tech s used in large fuel cell applications offering superior stability, conductivity, durability, and efficiency, according to a statement from Ionomr—all of which serve to reduce the unit cost of the fuel cell. Ionomr also claims Pemion is environmentally friendlier than conventional fluorinated membrane and polymer technology.

“Pemion is an ideal replacement for conventional materials, for its environmental benefits, and for its superior performance,” Haberlin says. “With our materials now produced at scale, our partners can take their fuel cell and other clean energy technologies to market faster, cleaner, and with better performance.”

Perfluorinated compounds are known environmental toxins that can leach into water sources, accumulate biologically in living organisms, and are difficult to recycle. Eliminating these widely used substances from all sources is an urgent focus globally, notes Haberlin.

“Pemion provides a tangible differentiation in the heavy-duty market,” the CEO stated.

Conceived in 2016 at Simon Fraser University by PhD chemistry student Dr. Benjamin Britto, Ionomr was founded in 2018 and employs 43 professionals across Vancouver, BC and New York.