ORION AEM POLYMERS for Renewable Energy Applications: Hydrogen Electrolyzers, Fuel Cells, Electric Vehicles, Redox Flow Batteries

Incorporate ORION’s ground-breaking CMX AEM into your projects to help accomplish the clean energy future we all are hunting for!

ORION’s CMX is known as the most durable, consistently-made, most highly performing AEM on the market. It is the easiest to use, is mechanically and chemically superior to others, and has extraordinary attributes: It can be stopped and restarted in a stack, with no loss of performance, performs excellently in 1wt% KOH or 1M KOH for thousands of hours at high temperature and high differential pressure, and is the lead choice of industrial hydrogen R&D facilities worldwide. ORION CMX is shipped dry, peels easily off its support backing and has a long shelf life. There is no ePTFE or any other webbing or mechanical reinforcement with the Orion CMX membrane and this is considered to be a self-supporting membrane. Orion CMX can be used for AEM or for HT-PEM by using a different pre-treatment processes.

ORION CMX : ION EXCHANGE CAPACITY (IEC) = 2.2 MEQUIV/G (IN OH– FORM)

ORION CMX (-OH) HAS NEARLY 3X THE ION EXCHANGE CAPACITY (IEC) OF NAFION (H+) !

ORION was chosen by Nel Hydrogen to participate in a $5M DOE grant starting in 2025 and collaborates with industrial leaders globally.

ORION CMX is versatile! The same membrane can be pretreated by soaking in NaOH to produce AEM, OR can be treated with phosphoric acid to produce our HT-PEM (high temperature PEM) that withstand up to 140˚C. Try it out today!

ORION’s AEM membrane is the ONLY hydroxide exchange membrane to show virtually no degradation at 80°C for 1000 hours under 100 psi and in strong electrolyte conditions. Proven by NREL comparative testing of 50 anion exchange samples (AEM) obtained globally. See The Electrochemical Society, ECS Transitions, Meek, Kelly M et al. vol 92, #8.

After testing in above conditions – ORION is the only AEM to show zero or the least degradation out of 50 AEM that started the testing, over time, heat and pressure. The below shows the final group of 14 that had not been eliminated in a thorough battery of tests by NREL. ORION had the best durability and performance of all 50.

ORION CMX is available in 10cm x 10cm sheets, 20cm x 20cm sheets, A4 (21cm x 29.5cm) sheets, and in roll lengths of 1m2, or full rolls of 5m2. For inquiries needing larger volumes of the Orion CMX membrane, please contact sales@fuelcellstore.com with the details and this information will be forwarded to the membrane manufacturer for MSA- bulk Materials Supply Agreements to keep your volume orders coming on a regular basis.

Parameter	Typical Published Specifications of Alternative Membranes	ORION CMX (Statistics are based on N:20 x 100 ft+ rolls)
Selectivity / type of membrane	Anion / Cation or Amphoteric Exchange Membrane, etc.	Primary use: Anion Exchange Membrane. Can also be used for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane if phosphoric acid pre-treatment is used vs. NaOH.
Operation range		1-14 inclusive
Operation temperature range	AEM: 0 - 60 deg C and rarely up to 80 deg C HT-PEM: Rarely reported	AEM: up to 80 deg C HT-PEM: >:140 deg C
Thickness	15 - 100 micrometers typically desired for AEMs	35-40 micrometers
Elongation / Swelling	Membrane expansion from initial dry state - typically >30%	~ 20%
Tensile strength	> 20 MPa	~45 MPa
Elongation at break	Typically limited to < 100%	~240%
Ionic conductivity (OH-) at 80 deg C	Often <100 mS/cm and rarely >100 mS/cm	~ 140 mS/cm
Ion exchange capacity (IEC)	Typically around 1.5 meq/gr	~ 2.2 meg/gr for standard grades. Custom IEC ~ 3.2 meq/gr.
Chemical stability	Must be stable against alkaline and/or acidic environments	Stable in strong bases and acids. Orion CMX is very durable at 80 deg C in 1 wt% KOH at 2 V (NEL Data).
Catalyst on the membrane	No	No
Delivery scope	The Orion membrane shall be provided as roll or separated sheets	Can be provided in 10 x 11 cm, 20 x 22 cm, and 21 x 30 cm sheets, multiples of 5 m2 rolls (22 cm wide rolls with 21 linear meter length each). Custom widths up to 45 cm.
Protection layers	(i.e., cover sheet) or handling sheets (i.e., backing sheet) are possible.	Orion CMX is on PET backing. It easily separates from the backing.
Morphology / optical impression	Homogeneous surface morphology and composition. Please supply a border pattern catalogue for optical properties for quality inspection by the naked eye.	Orion's production methods produce very consistent, smooth, pinhole-free, dust-free membrane.
Quality assurance by the supplier	The supplier should explain the quality assurance methods to detect deviations in the properties and detect pin holes.	Orion's quality inspection is done by IR cameras and visual inspection.
Storing and handling	The supplier should provide preliminary information about the requirements for storing the material and must give handling advice.	Orion CMX membranes are shipped and stored dry. Keep free from dust. Handle at the edges, in clean environments. The membrane is on a plastic backing, which it releases from easily. Shelf life: Years.

Proven High Temperature Stability for electrochemical devices, 80°C, 100 psi, 1000s of hrs in 1M KOH! More recently, in 1wt% KOH – more challenging.
Orion CMX and it processes are not EPA PFAS or PFOA list chemicals. Orion products are not environmental pollutants.
Proven High Chemical Stability – robust in pH 1-14
The most Robust Mechanical Properties of all AEM currently available.
The ONLY durable anion exchange ionomer membrane out of 50+ tested!
(see NREL, National Renewable Energy Lab, comparative blind study, Orion AEM=PPN5)
No Platinum needed. Inexpensive metal cathodes when using AEM
No Titanium needed. Low cost housings.
Minimized Hoffmann elimination reaction
Lower cost MEAs
Comparable AEM power density attained to PEM
No corrosive environment enables alkaline fuel cells, hydrogen electrolyzers for a zero-emission future.

ORION has a passion for developing a sustainable, clean energy future!
We’re proud of the strides we’ve made in durable AEM for renewable energy from our early stage TM1, to our more durable AMX, to our current high performance CMX membranes.
ORION has more commercial roll to roll and polymer synthesis scaling, more ionomer inventions, and more R2R price reductions in its pipeline for 2026 -2027.
Incorporate ORION ground-breaking CMX AEM into your projects to help accomplish the clean energy future you want.

For more information on custom sizes and bulk quantity, please contact Fuel Cell Store at sales@fuelcellstore.com.

Membrane Properties
Thickness	35-40 μm
Ion Exchange Capacity	>2.2 meq/gr (in OH- form)
Recommended Operating Parameters
Temperature	80 °C (1000 hours with <0.5% degradation with 1M KOH)
Conductivity	~ 140 mS/cm (in OH- form)