Green hydrogen becomes competitive
Start-up wants to make green hydrogen affordable with new MEA technology
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A process developed at Westfälische Hochschule for the direct coating of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) enables the more cost-effective production of green hydrogen. The inventor Dr. Pit Podleschny and the three other members of the founding team have acquired an exclusive license to the patented technology with the support of PROvendis, the central service provider of the innovation2business.nrw university network funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. They are now continuing their start-up Hydrogenea GmbH under the new name Direct Matter GmbH.
At the heart of the underlying technology is a nanoscale coating process that not only enables faster production of MEAs through electrochemical direct coating, but also significantly reduces the use of critical materials such as precious metals like iridium. The method allows an increase in efficiency at system level while simultaneously reducing production costs. Originally developed for use in fuel cells, the process is now primarily used in water electrolysis for the production of green hydrogen and helps to make it competitive. The technology reduces production costs by up to 30 percent and supports the energy transition towards green hydrogen and a sustainable future.
Hydrogenea becomes Direct Matter
Based on this invention, the team from Westfälische Hochschule founded the start-up Hydrogenea GmbH in January 2024. The company is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) as part of the EXIST research transfer program. In the first year and a half, the technology was developed further and initial industrial contacts were established. In 2025, the founders acquired the license with the support of PROvendis. The work previously established under Hydrogenea as a cell manufacturer is now being further developed under the name Direct Matter.
The successful transfer of the research results into industrial applications was accompanied by PROvendis from the very beginning. "For PROvendis, this is a good example of successful technology transfer. This case shows the potential of our universities," says PROvendis Innovation Manager Catherine Hartmann.
From component to complete solution
The renaming goes hand in hand with a further development in terms of content: in addition to individual components, the company is increasingly working with partners on complete electrolysis stacks and, in the future, electrolysis systems. Since the company was founded, the technological and organizational prerequisites for this have been created, including the establishment of production capacities and the development and testing of the first prototypes. Direct Matter already supplies MEAs and cooperates with partners in the construction of complete stacks. Further development steps include demonstration plants in the 100 kilowatt power range and the implementation of electrolysis plants in the multi-megawatt range by 2028.
The patented direct coating technology remains the technological basis of the growing company. "Hydrogenea was an important first step - with Direct Matter, we are now driving the further development of the technology forward in a targeted manner," says Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Podleschny. "With Direct Matter, we want to make hydrogen affordable and expand our range in a targeted manner."
The launch of Direct Matter marks the start of a new phase for the start-up. The company is strategically geared towards growth, with a clear focus on market proximity, scalability and sustainability. In the future, the technology will also be expanded to include related applications in the hydrogen economy.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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