NEXCERIS

Company Overview

Nexceris (Previously known as NexTech) is one of only a few organizations in the world focusing specifically on the development of SOFCs, catalysts and sensors. Nexceris’s business strategy is to expand its manufacturing and materials technologies to meet the needs of the emerging commercial fuel cell market. Nexceris is focusing its efforts on creating SOFC and fuel processing components that will allow the utilization of hydrocarbon-based fuels more efficiently and in an environmentally responsible manner. Since its inception in 1994, Nexceris Materials has been working towards improving the properties and performance of SOFC materials and components.

Nexceris is one of the few companies with complete vertical integration from research to materials synthesis to component fabrication. The company has many active projects on cathode and electrolyte materials and has recently released its NextCell Advanced Electrolyte Supported Cell. These cells have dramatically improved strength and higher performance compared to traditional electrolyte supported cells. The NextCell uses the patent-pending Hionic electrolyte support that is manufactured using proprietary fabrication methods and materials. The Hionic support is more than four times stronger than the most popular fully stabilized YSZ-8 material, with conductivity surpassing that of YSZ-8. Improved mechanical flexibility makes the cells less brittle and therefore more forgiving during operations such as testing and stack assembly. The first NextCell cells are designed to operate at temperatures above 800°C and have a demonstrated area specific resistance (ASR) of 0.52 ohm-cm².

NexTech Materials and Plug Power have collaborated to develop an SOFC power system. Joint activities include market research, fuel cell stack development and testing, system design, and prototype construction. The target market for this project is military, particularly for U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army applications. Other potential markets include premium assured wireless communications and commercial stationary backup power applications. Costs are in the region of $3 million, $1 million of which is in the form of a grant from Ohio State’s Third Frontier Fuel Cell Initiative program.

In 2009, NexTech completed the scale-up of its FlexCell SOFC technology and demonstrated the world’s largest SOFC platform. NexTech Materials Ltd. appointed Haiku Tech of the Netherlands as an authorized reseller for Europe and India early in 2009. According ot the agreement, Haiku Tech distributed NexTech products sold under the branded name Fuel Cell Materials. Additionally, Haiku Tech offered the full complement of services provided by the newly formed commercial services division of NexTech. This distribution agreement leveraged the strengths of both organizations and will allowed customers to have access to customized materials provided by NexTech integrated for use with volume production equipment provided from Haiku Tech. The collaboration primarily focused on SOFC. Current status of the agreement is unknown.

In September 2009, NexTech expanded its ceramic manufacturing capacity and introduced a new line of premium ceramic powders through its fuelcellmaterials.com division. The product of years of development experience at NexTech, the Premium Powder line is tailored to provide improved ceramic processing behavior at lower temperatures. Premium Powders are available in laboratory volumes, 500-g minimum to 25-kg lot sizes. For commercial applications, larger production volumes are available. Each powder lot is supplied with complete chemical, physical, and electrical analyses on a convenient thumb drive. Ceramic powders include various electrolyte and electrode materials used primarily in solid oxide fuel cell applications.

In August 2009, the company completed scale-up of its FlexCell SOFC technology to a nominal area of 1,200 cm² and power output of 400 watts per cell. This is believed to be the largest production planar fuel cell. NexTech’s FlexCell technology is an innovative electrolyte-supported SOFC. NexTech's sulfur-tolerant anode technology, a long-lasting cathode, and a thin high-performance electrolyte are all included. The term comes from the fuel cell's capacity to run on a variety of fuels (fuel flexible) as well as its flexible mechanical nature, which makes it manufacturable and robust for a wide range of applications.

In October 2010, NexTech Materials announced the receipt of a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award from the U.S. Navy to develop an advanced SOFC and associated reformer. According to a statement from the company, it designed and demonstrated a 10-kW SOFC system that can operate on JP 5 diesel fuel. The system was created to address important Navy requirements for unmanned aerial vehicle systems that can run on heavy diesel fuel and have higher system power density and faster start-up times. The system was built on NexTech's patented planar SOFC architecture, which, unlike current SOFC technologies, can handle high sulfur levels.

Company's Business Segments

• Clean Energy : The company delivers products and solutions for clean energy technologies, including solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), battery materials, hydrogen generation and storage technologies, and safety solutions for lithium-ion batteries.