Grant of Fuel Cell Catalyst Patents in USA

Ilika plc

("Ilika" or the "Company")

Grant of Fuel Cell Catalyst Patents in USA

Ilika (AIM: IKA), a pioneer in solid-state battery technology and materials innovation, announces the grant of three patents covering catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells in the USA. These patents cover a type of catalyst known as "Core-Shell Catalysts", where the catalyst is the coating on nano-scale spherical particles, like the hard shell on a golf ball.

Catalysts are key to ensuring the efficiency and reliability of fuel cells. The catalysts must therefore be stable in the aggressive acidic environment created within hydrogen fuel cells, whilst highly active in promoting the chemical reactions necessary for converting hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water.

Core-Shell Nanostructured Catalysts typically have a relatively low-cost and stable core, which is then coated with a thin layer (shell) of the active catalyst. The Company's patented catalysts have mixed metal oxide (ceramic) cores covered in platinum. The three wholly owned granted patents were originally filed in January 2013. The Company had previously undertaken a joint development project with Toyota examining other catalyst materials which resulted in an earlier jointly-owned patent filing, which has since gone to grant in Japan and is currently being processed in other jurisdictions.

Commenting on the patents granted, Graeme Purdy, Ilika CEO, said: "Whilst our solid-state battery programme is our key focus, our materials discovery platform is generating innovative, patentable materials with a variety of applications. The pace of innovation in the automotive industry has never been greater as companies compete to develop increasingly more energy-efficient, low emission vehicles. While electrical hybrid vehicles using battery technology have captured the largest share of the low-emission market at this point and fully battery-powered electric vehicles are also seeing strong take-up, fuel cell vehicles offer the advantage of long driving range, which justifies the development of key technologies such as low-cost, robust catalysts."

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Notes to Editors

A fuel cell is an electrochemical conversion device that produces electricity without combustion of the fuel. Hydrogen is the most common energy supply for a fuel cell as it has the right electrochemistry and the exhaust product is water. Many fuel cells under development, particularly for transport and electronics applications, use platinum-based electrodes. While platinum works well, it is a very scarce element and therefore expensive. Membrane electrode assemblies, of which platinum is the principal cost, typically make up 40% of the cost of a fuel cell. The end-market for fuel cell technology is still in its infancy. However, the development of platinum-lean catalysts could significantly accelerate the development of this market. Several automotive companies, including Toyota and BMW, include fuel cell vehicles in their future road maps.