The collaboration focuses on improving catalyst layers used in anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis, a technology increasingly viewed as a pathway to lowering hydrogen production costs toward approximately $2/kg. According to the companies, further cost reductions depend on advances in materials that improve efficiency, durability, manufacturability, and stability under industrial operating conditions
Catalyst layers are thin functional materials inside electrolyzers that play a central role in determining conversion efficiency and operational reliability. The companies describe these layers as one of the most critical and complex bottlenecks in AEM electrolysis. Even incremental gains in performance or ease of production can deliver system-level benefits, including reduced electricity consumption, longer stack lifetimes, and lower operating costs.
Matteco contributes experience in high-performance AEM catalyst materials, functional inks, and industrially relevant formulations already addressing current market requirements. The collaboration is intended to build on this base to accelerate the development of future generations of electrolyzers.
Dunia Innovations brings an AI-guided experimentation platform designed to rapidly test and compare large numbers of material configurations under conditions intended to reflect real electrolyzer operation. By integrating advanced materials science with AI-powered experimentation and data-driven optimization, the partners aim to reduce development cycles from years to months and enable faster iteration and more reliable scale-up pathways.
“For a long time, the industry has treated discovery as the hard part. In reality, discovery is cheap. What’s truly hard is turning ideas into materials that perform reliably, scale cleanly, and make an economic difference. This collaboration reflects our ambition to push AEM electrolysis performance beyond today’s benchmarks,” said Dr. Alexander Hammer, CEO and co-founder of Dunia Innovations.
“Matteco has built a strong technological base in AEM materials, and this partnership allows us to accelerate its evolution with unprecedented speed and precision. Now, we can move faster from targeted design to validated, industrial-ready solutions. This is a true co-development effort, aligned from the outset with the realities of commercial electrolyzer,” said Dr. Gonzalo Abellán, Co-founder and CTO at Matteco.
The companies stated that the collaboration is structured with the goal of expanding into a longer-term strategic partnership focused on real-world industrial performance.
