Ion Power

What Ion Power does

Ion Power, Inc. is a privately held specialty materials company founded in 1999 by Stephen Grot Ph.D. — son of Nafion™ inventor Dr. Walther Grot — and headquartered in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, with manufacturing operations in Delaware. The company is the sole authorized global distributor of Nafion™ perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymer materials produced by The Chemours Company, reselling membranes, dispersions, pellets, powders, and tubing in various grades (N115, N117, N424, N438, NR211, NR212, XL, HP) plus complementary SIGRACET™ gas diffusion media. Beyond distribution, Ion Power manufactures a portfolio of proprietary value-added products under brands including LIQUion™, LITHion™, POWDion™, VANADion™, HYDRion™, and Catalyst Coated Membranes (CCM)/MEAs, leveraging patented ultra-thin MEA manufacturing technology and continuous roll-to-roll coating operations.

The company serves customers across the PEM fuel cell industry, water electrolysis/hydrogen production, electrochemical energy storage, and industrial and research applications such as chlor-alkali, sensors, and biomedical devices. Its commercial go-to-market combines direct e-commerce storefronts (ion-power.com and ion-power.eu including a German site) targeted at end-users, quote-based pricing with verification for new accounts, enterprise field sales for government, military, and industrial buyers, and academic discount programs that incentivize citations in published research. The company is also active in government-sponsored R&D, evidenced by US Department of Energy awards in 2023 ($199,792) and 2024 ($1,150,000), and in 2025 launched a recycled Nafion™ membrane line developed with Calicat that matches pristine performance benchmarks at materially lower environmental footprint.

Name

Ion Power

Legal name

Ion Power, Inc.

Website

https://ion-power.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ion Power is the sole authorized global distributor of Chemours' Nafion™ PFSA polymers and manufactures value-added electrochemical products (LIQUion™, LITHion™, HYDRion™, VANADion™, CCMs/MEAs) serving PEM fuel cell, water electrolysis, and battery customers via direct e-commerce and enterprise channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electrochemical Materials & Components

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Battery Manufacturing (33591), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)

SIC

Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821), Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Wholesale-Electronic Parts & Equipment, Nec (5065), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAFABAE

Separators & Membranes Manufacturing

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Energy Storage & Grid Flexibility (Batteries, Hydrogen Storage, Demand Response)/Battery Materials, Cells & Packs Manufacturing

SECONDARYIMAEAKAM

Battery & Energy Storage High-Purity Chemicals (Electrolyte salts/solvents, additives)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Chemicals & Industrial Materials/Electronic & High-Purity Chemicals

SECONDARYEUAFABAD

Electrolytes & Additives Manufacturing (Liquid, Gel, Solid-State)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Energy Storage & Grid Flexibility (Batteries, Hydrogen Storage, Demand Response)/Battery Materials, Cells & Packs Manufacturing

SECONDARYIMAEAIAH

Ion Exchange Resins & Functional Adsorbents

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Chemicals & Industrial Materials/Catalysts & Adsorbents

Keywords

• Proton exchange membranes
• Electrolyzer components
• MEA manufacturing
• Nafion materials distribution
• Electrochemical materials

Headquarters

HQ city

New Castle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Nafion™ Product Sales: Ion Power distributes and resells Nafion™ perfluorosulfonic acid polymer materials from Chemours, including membranes, tubes, dispersions, pellets, and powders. Products are sold in various forms and sizes to industrial, research, and government customers.
2. Value-Added Products: Ion Power manufactures and sells proprietary value-added products containing Nafion™: LIQUion™ dispersions, LITHion™ dispersions, POWDion™ powder, VANADion™ composite membranes, HYDRion™ electrolysis membranes, and Catalyst Coated Membranes (CCM) / MEAs. These are sold directly via their e-commerce store to end-users.
3. Recycled Nafion™ Materials: Ion Power offers raw polymer pellet material sourced from end-of-life recycled Nafion™ for customers to manufacture their own sustainably sourced products, as well as finished recycled products including 4 Mil Thick Film and VANADion™-20-R.
4. R&D Services: Ion Power is actively engaged in private and government-sponsored R&D activities aimed at improving fuel cell components and developing non-fuel cell applications for Nafion™ for industrial and military markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ion Power is the sole authorized global distributor of Chemours' Nafion™ perfluorosulfonic acid polymer materials (membranes, dispersions, tubes, resin/pellets) and manufactures a proprietary line of value-added products containing Nafion™ — LIQUion™ and LITHion™ dispersions, POWDion™ powder, VANADion™ composite membranes, HYDRion™ electrolysis membranes, and Catalyst Coated Membranes (CCMs)/MEAs — for fuel cell, water electrolysis, and battery applications. The company also produces recycled Nafion™ products from end-of-life materials and conducts R&D services for government and industrial customers.

Product overview

Ion Power is the sole authorized distributor of Nafion™ perfluorosulfonic acid polymer materials from Chemours, available in pellet, membrane, dispersion, and powder forms. Beyond distribution, Ion Power manufactures a portfolio of value-added products containing Nafion™: LIQUion™ and LITHion™ dispersions for coatings and battery applications; POWDion™ powders; VANADion™ composite membranes for energy storage; HYDRion™ electrolysis membranes for hydrogen production; and Catalyst Coated Membranes (CCM)/MEAs for fuel cells. The company also offers Recycled Nafion™ products from end-of-life materials and distributes SIGRACET™ gas diffusion media as complementary products for fuel cell systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LIQUion™: LIQUion™ dispersions contain Nafion™ dispersed in water or alcohol solvent mixture, used in coatings, films, and catalyst layers providing high proton conductivity and chemical stability.
• LITHion™
• POWDion™
• VANADion™
• HYDRion™
• CCM (Catalyst Coated Membranes)

Quantifiable outcome

• Third-party testing confirmed recycled membrane durability at current densities above 2.2A/cm² and temperatures up to 80°C at ambient pressure, with fluoride release rates and gas crossover matching pristine NAFION materials.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CalicatcoreTechnology or Integration · 23 December 2025Ion Power leverages Calicat's Testing and Modeling as a Service (TMaaS) to develop high-performance recycled membranes from end-of-life NAFION water electrolysis membranes. Third-party testing by Calicat confirmed membrane durability at current densities above 2.2A/cm² and temperatures up to 80°C at ambient pressure, with fluoride release rates and gas crossover matching pristine NAFION materials. The companies plan to scale the product beyond prototype stage to commercial volume.
• The Chemours CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIon Power is the sole authorized global distributor of Nafion™ perfluorosulfonic acid polymer materials manufactured by The Chemours Company. Products are available in pellet, finished membrane, or dispersion forms. Ion Power maintains a large inventory of Nafion™ products for quick shipment and offers the widest range of products made with Nafion™ materials.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greenerity GmbH: Greenerity (formerly PEMEAS/Celanese fuel cell business) manufactures MEAs and catalysts for PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers using Nafion-based chemistries, making them a directly comparable manufactured-MEA peer in the same hydrogen economy value chain as Ion Power.
• Ballard Power Systems: Ballard designs and manufactures PEM fuel cell stacks and is both a major customer for Nafion-based MEAs and a competitor through its in-house MEA development. Their vertical integration into MEAs creates both partnership opportunity and competitive risk for Ion Power's fuel cell product line.
• Asahi Kasei Corporation: Asahi Kasei produces hydrocarbon-based fuel cell membranes (Aciplex™) and lithium-ion battery separators (Hipore™), directly competing with Nafion™ in PEM fuel cells and overlapping with Ion Power's battery separator/diffusion media offerings. It is one of the most credible non-PFAS alternatives to Nafion in commercial fuel cell stacks.
• W. L. Gore & Associates: Gore manufactures GORE-SELECT reinforced membranes and MEAs for PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers, making it the most direct global competitor to Ion Power's Nafion-based membrane and MEA products in the fuel cell and hydrogen value chain. Both serve identical PEM fuel cell and water electrolysis OEMs with similar chemistry stacks.

Emerging players

• Plug Power Inc. Plug Power is a PEM electrolyzer and fuel cell systems company acquiring membrane production capability, creating a verticalized competitor that both consumes and competes with Nafion-based membrane supply. Their pursuit of in-house component manufacturing poses a long-term structural risk to Ion Power's distribution and MEA business.
• Advent Technologies Holdings: Advent develops high-temperature PEM fuel cell membranes (HT-PEM) targeting heavy-duty mobility and stationary power — adjacent to Ion Power's core PEM focus but using a different membrane chemistry. Their Celtec™ MEAs compete in overlapping fuel cell applications, particularly military and industrial markets where Ion Power also participates.
• Nel ASA: Nel is a leading PEM water electrolyzer manufacturer and a major buyer of Nafion-based membranes (HYDRion™-class products) for green hydrogen production systems. While primarily a customer peer, Nel's vertical integration plans for in-house membrane production make them both buyer and potential competitor.

Others

• Ion Exchange (India) Ltd. Ion Exchange manufactures ion exchange resins and membranes for water treatment, food processing, and chemical process industries. While primarily focused on water-treatment applications rather than fuel cell/electrolysis, they share the broader ion exchange membrane chemistry adjacency and serve as a reference point for specialty resin businesses.

Broad incumbents

• 3M Company: 3M has historically manufactured fuel cell components including membranes, gas diffusion media, and MEAs, and continues to sell into adjacent electrochemical and battery separator markets. As a diversified industrial giant, they overlap with Ion Power in specialty materials supplied to electrochemical applications.
• The Chemours Company: Chemours is the manufacturer of Nafion™ and Ion Power's sole supplier/strategic partner, producing perfluorosulfonic acid polymer materials in pellet, dispersion, and membrane forms. As a much larger specialty chemicals incumbent, Chemours could at any time verticalize into direct Nafion sales or modify the distribution arrangement, making it the single most material structural peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@stephengrot709?sub_confirmation=1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ionpowerinc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ion Power