Energy Production
ARBOK TEGA-MoS₂ is a cathode catalyst for PEM water electrolysis in which MoS₂ — a cheap mineral, not a precious metal — is hosted at atomic dispersion across TEGA, ARBOK's own graphene-like thermally expanded graphite (2,400–3,600 m²/g surface…
Technology brief
ARBOK TEGA-MoS₂ is a cathode catalyst for PEM water electrolysis in which MoS₂ — a cheap mineral, not a precious metal — is hosted at atomic dispersion across TEGA, ARBOK's own graphene-like thermally expanded graphite (2,400–3,600 m²/g surface…
The challenge
PEM electrolyzer manufacturers and green hydrogen plant operators seeking to remove platinum from the cathode catalyst layer. Applicable to new electrolyzer stack production and to catalyst-layer redesign in existing PEM architectures.
ARBOK solution
ARBOK TEGA-MoS₂ is a cathode catalyst for PEM water electrolysis in which MoS₂ — a cheap mineral, not a precious metal — is hosted at atomic dispersion across TEGA, ARBOK's own graphene-like thermally expanded graphite (2,400–3,600 m²/g surface area). Platinum is the industry-standard PEM cathode catalyst, priced around $53,700–54,000/kg; plain MoS₂ is far cheaper but needs 100–200 mV more overpotential than platinum to drive the same reaction, which has kept it out of commercial electrodes. Spread across TEGA's surface at atomic dispersion instead of as a bulk crystal, MoS₂ reaches overpotentials of 34–64 mV — matching commercial 20% platinum-on-carbon catalysts — without platinum in the electrode.
TEGA's extreme specific surface area (2,400–3,600 m²/g) disperses MoS₂ atomically through its porous graphene matrix rather than allowing it to aggregate as bulk crystal. At atomic dispersion, MoS₂'s catalytic sites are maximally exposed, closing most of the overpotential gap to platinum. The host matrix itself is self-conducting, carrying current to and from the dispersed catalytic sites without added conductive additives.
Market and application
Global electrolyzer manufacturing capacity has passed 60 GW; installed volume is climbing from under 6 GW/year toward a market projected at $47.5 billion by 2034 (~30% CAGR). At today's installed base (~6 GW/year), removing platinum from the cathode saves roughly $40–50 million/year in catalyst metal alone; by 2034, at 30% annual market growth, that reaches roughly $400 million/year, cumulatively over $1 billion across 2026–2034. China holds 60% of global electrolyzer manufacturing capacity; the EU and US are subsidizing domestic electrolyzer production while still importing the platinum that goes into it.
TEGA production: ~$50/kg material cost, from mobile production units with substantial per-unit capacity. A single 100 MW electrolyzer plant carries $500,000–1,100,000 of platinum on its cathodes under the conventional design; TEGAMOS displaces that cost at the catalyst layer. ARBOK business model: BOOM/offtake with electrolyzer manufacturers, 15–20 years, volumes and prices locked in; franchise of BOO TEGA production modules, payback 5–8 years.
Use cases
PEM electrolyzer manufacturers and green hydrogen plant operators seeking to remove platinum from the cathode catalyst layer. Applicable to new electrolyzer stack production and to catalyst-layer redesign in existing PEM architectures.
TEGA is produced on-site by compact mobile production units, feeding into the electrolyzer manufacturer's cathode catalyst-layer production. Catalyst-layer deposition follows standard electrode-manufacturing practice.
ARBOK-NaTEG · ARBOK-TEGASI · EXTRACAP · AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel)
Shares the TEGA production platform with ARBOK-NaTEG and ARBOK TEGA-Si; same mobile-unit manufacturing model applied to a PEM electrolysis catalyst rather than a battery anode.
ARBOK TEGA-MoS₂ is a cathode catalyst for PEM water electrolysis in which MoS₂ — a cheap mineral, not a precious metal — is hosted at atomic dispersion across TEGA, ARBOK's own graphene-like thermally expanded graphite (2,400–3,600 m²/g surface area). Platinum is the industry-standard PEM cathode catalyst, priced around $53,700–54,000/kg; plain MoS₂ is far cheaper but needs 100–200 mV more overpotential than platinum to drive the same reaction, which has kept it out of commercial electrodes. Spread across TEGA's surface at atomic dispersion instead of as a bulk crystal, MoS₂ reaches overpotentials of 34–64 mV — matching commercial 20% platinum-on-carbon catalysts — without platinum in the electrode.
PEM electrolyzer manufacturers and green hydrogen plant operators seeking to remove platinum from the cathode catalyst layer. Applicable to new electrolyzer stack production and to catalyst-layer redesign in existing PEM architectures.
TEGA's extreme specific surface area (2,400–3,600 m²/g) disperses MoS₂ atomically through its porous graphene matrix rather than allowing it to aggregate as bulk crystal. At atomic dispersion, MoS₂'s catalytic sites are maximally exposed, closing most of the overpotential gap to platinum. The host matrix itself is self-conducting, carrying current to and from the dispersed catalytic sites without added conductive additives.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| TEGA surface area | 2,400–3,600 m²/g |
| TEGA production cost | ~$50/kg |
| TEGA production rate | high-throughput mobile production units; capacity scales by adding units |
| MoS₂ feedstock cost | $15–30/kg |
| Platinum cost (displaced) | ~$53,700–54,000/kg |
| TEGAMOS overpotential | 34–64 mV |
| Plain MoS₂ overpotential penalty (undispersed) | 100–200 mV above platinum |
| Standard PEM Pt loading (displaced) | 0.5–1.0 mg/cm² (~$5–11/kW in catalyst metal) |
TEGA matrix: compact mobile production units with substantial per-unit capacity, sited at the electrolyzer manufacturer's location. MoS₂: dispersed atomically through the TEGA pore structure to form the cathode catalyst layer, replacing platinum-on-carbon in the PEM stack's cathode.
Material: MoS₂ dispersed atomically across TEGA's surface behaves catalytically like a precious metal without being one.
Performance: 34–64 mV overpotential, matching commercial 20% platinum-on-carbon catalysts.
Economics: MoS₂ at $15–30/kg and TEGA at ~$50/kg replace platinum at ~$53,700–54,000/kg, removing the single largest metal cost item in a PEM stack.
Manufacturing and strategic: TEGA producible on site at high throughput, removing exposure to platinum supply and price, and to the mine-supply constraint that platinum's scarcity places on hydrogen-economy scale-up.
ARBOK-NaTEG · ARBOK-TEGASI · EXTRACAP · AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel)
Shares the TEGA production platform with ARBOK-NaTEG and ARBOK TEGA-Si; same mobile-unit manufacturing model applied to a PEM electrolysis catalyst rather than a battery anode.
TEGA is produced on-site by compact mobile production units, feeding into the electrolyzer manufacturer's cathode catalyst-layer production. Catalyst-layer deposition follows standard electrode-manufacturing practice.
TEGA production itself is established at industrial rate. TEGAMOS catalyst formulation is stated as in development; no formal TRL rating for the complete cathode/stack is recorded in the base.
Global electrolyzer manufacturing capacity has passed 60 GW; installed volume is climbing from under 6 GW/year toward a market projected at $47.5 billion by 2034 (~30% CAGR). At today's installed base (~6 GW/year), removing platinum from the cathode saves roughly $40–50 million/year in catalyst metal alone; by 2034, at 30% annual market growth, that reaches roughly $400 million/year, cumulatively over $1 billion across 2026–2034. China holds 60% of global electrolyzer manufacturing capacity; the EU and US are subsidizing domestic electrolyzer production while still importing the platinum that goes into it.
TEGA production: ~$50/kg material cost, from mobile production units with substantial per-unit capacity. A single 100 MW electrolyzer plant carries $500,000–1,100,000 of platinum on its cathodes under the conventional design; TEGAMOS displaces that cost at the catalyst layer. ARBOK business model: BOOM/offtake with electrolyzer manufacturers, 15–20 years, volumes and prices locked in; franchise of BOO TEGA production modules, payback 5–8 years.
TEGAMOS catalyst formulation is still in development; no formal TRL rating exists for the assembled cathode/stack. The 34–64 mV overpotential figure and the 100–200 mV plain-MoS₂ penalty appear without a stated third-party validation source in the base. MoS₂ loading ratio and catalyst-layer deposition parameters are not yet fully specified.
ARBOK-NaTEG · ARBOK-TEGASI · EXTRACAP · AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel)
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