Giner Labs News

Giner Labs will test a fuel cell energy storage system designed as a potential power supply for future spacecraft or lunar surface operations to evaluate its gas-liquid phase separator in microgravity. This technology is planned to fly on ZERO-G’s G-Force One.

NASA Selects Nine Technologies for Commercial Flight Tests - NASA

We are pleased to share our recent publication in ScienceDirect on development of a practical and economical test for on-the-spot detection of fungal genes for diagnosis of endemic fungal diseases. The test provides a level of accuracy normally associated only with time-consuming and expensive laboratory testing. Building on Giner’s biosensor initiatives, this work will develop a robust, intuitive, and low-cost testing platform that utilizes an electrochemical sensor with nucleic acid probes specific for the targeted fungal gene sequences. We thank our collaborators at the J. Craig Venter Institute (La Jolla, CA) and NIH/NIAID SBIR program for funding.

At the Annual Merit Review of the US Department of Energy Giner received the high honor of a Special Achievement Award for 2 decades of outstanding innovations in fuel cell and electrolyzer technology.

"This award recognizes Giner, Inc., represented by Hui Xu, Monjid Hamdan, and Cortney Mittlesteadt for outstanding contributions to advancing the state-of-the-art in fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies. Over the past 20 years, DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Office and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) have funded Giner, Inc. (Giner Electrochemical Systems and Giner ELX) to research, develop, and demonstrate a vast array of electrochemical technologies to support HFTO objectives, from novel polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell components for automotive applications (e.g., non-platinum-group-metal catalysts, dimensionally stable membranes, hydrocarbon membranes, bilayer gas diffusion layers, high-oxygen-permeable ionomers, and electrodes fabricated for high durability) to advanced high-efficiency, low-cost anion exchange membrane (AEM) and PEM electrolyzers for hydrogen fuel generation, and reversible fuel cells for renewable energy storage and power generation. Giner, starting out as a small business in 1973, has grown by leveraging key innovations and expertise into commercial success with its spin-offs Giner Life Sciences and Giner ELX (which was recently bought by Plug Power in 2020). Giner, Inc. remains a strong source of innovation in the U.S. hydrogen and fuel cell industry, and we look forward to future achievements."

Giner was one of 3 small businesses introduced by the US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm as part of a webinar “SMALL BUSINESSES WITH BIG IMPACT”. The webinar celebrates the contribution that small businesses have made and will make to the decarbonization of the US and the world economy. In the webinar discussion led by Jennifer Granholm, Dr. Judith Lattimer from Giner points out that green hydrogen is now widely regarded as one of the keys to making decarbonization happen, and Giner has been and remains a leader in developing world leading green hydrogen technologies. Watch a video recording of this event.

Giner, Inc. will receive $1.1M to develop a device to convert solar energy and water directly into storable hydrogen fuel. This project will integrate novel anion exchange membrane technology, electrocatalysts and photoelectrodes, and Giner’s well-established water electrolysis platform. This solar-powered water-splitting device will directly generate hydrogen and oxygen from water, with efficiencies greater than 10% and stability of over 1000 h, using only sunlight as an energy source. This project is a collaboration between University of Pittsburgh, Versogen, and Giner.

“We can’t wait to continue working on this important and transformational technology to help producing clean, sustainable green hydrogen, which is critical for a zero emissions future.”, said Dr. Judith Lattimer, Senior Project Scientist and Principal Investigator for the project.

Dr. Hui Xu, the CTO of Giner Inc. commented, "Giner is delighted to be awarded this exciting project. This sunlight to H₂ technology represents one of a portfolio of technologies that Giner has been developing with the support of the DOE. Giner has been a pioneer for the production of green chemicals utilizing renewable energy. We are committed to decarbonizing our society through relentless innovation."