California Catalysts

California Catalysts, formerly known as H2U Technologies, is a developer of advanced materials and components for the electrolyzer industry, focusing on the production of green hydrogen. The company was spun out of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to commercialize technology developed over a decade of research funded by a $122 million Department of Energy grant for the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) program. Professor Nate Lewis founded the company to transition next-generation catalysts from the laboratory to industrial applications by exclusively licensing the high-throughput catalyst discovery engine (CDE) from Caltech. In January 2024, early investor and board member Jourdan Urbach took over as CEO to accelerate the commercialization of the company's research and development efforts.

The core of the company's business is its proprietary Catalyst Discovery Engine™ (CDE™), which integrates artificial intelligence with high-throughput physical testing methods. This system allows for the rapid synthesis, characterization, and quantification of the catalytic activity of thousands of material compositions weekly. The AI model predicts the properties of catalyst candidates, which are then physically tested. The data from these real-world experiments is fed back into the AI model, creating a powerful iterative loop that improves the accuracy of future predictions, which now stands at 70% for activity, durability, and permanence. This process dramatically accelerates the discovery of new electrocatalysts compared to traditional research methods.

California Catalysts develops and markets products that aim to lower the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). Its primary focus is on producing non-Iridium catalysts, addressing the scarcity and high cost of precious metals like Iridium, which are critical constraints for the scaling of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysis. The company offers several families of non-Iridium Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) catalysts for both PEM and Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) water electrolyzers. One of its flagship products, the 'Amplifier', is a zero-iridium catalyst that has achieved significant performance milestones. Beyond catalysts, the firm develops advanced components like Porous Transport Layer (PTL) coatings and Catalyst Coated Membranes (CCMs) to solve issues such as catalyst layer resistance and gas recombination. The company's business model involves joint development agreements with leading electrolyzer manufacturers and industry partners, such as SoCal Gas, Tokyo Gas, and De Nora, to apply its novel materials to commercial hydrogen electrolyzer systems. Revenue is also generated through the sale of its catalyst and component products.

Keywords: green hydrogen, electrocatalyst, catalyst discovery, electrolyzer components, PEM electrolysis, non-iridium catalysts, AI in materials science, porous transport layer, catalyst coated membrane, levelized cost of hydrogen, water electrolysis, advanced materials, Caltech spin-off, clean energy, decarbonization, JCAP, high-throughput experimentation, OER catalysts, AEM electrolysis, sustainable materials