The project is working on the development of renewable resources in the automotive industry, and help build a world-class fuel cell industry in the UK.

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells (also known as Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells) use hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electricity which can be used to power vehicles.

Jack Frost, head of Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells, said, "The Membrane Electrode Assembly is the component at the heart of the PEM fuel cell. Developing the catalyst and materials technology embodied in this critical component is the key to making fuel cell cars a commercial reality."

InteliCoat (Wrexham, U.K.) is collaborating with the dedicated business unit, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells (Reading, U.K.) to develop and evaluate novel design approaches, materials and production processes for making polymeric membranes that are the critical component of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for the PEM fuel cells.

The aim is to achieve higher efficiency and improved lifetime, yet lower production costs that could help developers meet the challenging cost and weight targets for fuel cells in large-scale automotive applications.