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Our expertise

Proud to develop products recognized for their performance as the benchmark.

A long journey in product innovation has created a diversified and growing portfolio of electrochemical technologies and water treatment, disinfection, and filtration technologies. 
The innovation is in our DNA and began a century ago when Oronzio De Nora, our founder, patented his first electrolytic cell for Chlor-alkali production.

Our talented international research team counts on a peculiar mix of chemical, process, mechanical, and manufacturing expertise that allows us to develop new electrochemical systems starting from the initial conceptual phase up to the test of industrial-size prototypes. Scientific accuracy and precision, coupled with the Company's extensive know-how, drive our research teams to propose new and reliable solutions.

The research seeds come from customers, markets, and production needs & grow according to our Agile® / Stage&Gate™ hybrid process for product creation. The inventions are protected through efficient procedures of patenting or secrecy.
Existing and innovative technologies are oriented to the marketplace and customers' requirements using certified processes that respect the highest standards for Environment, Health, Safety, and Ethics to achieve full sustainability.

We are specialists in developing complete electrochemical solutions, including electrodes, cells, and systems.

DSA® electrodes featuring Mixed Metal Oxide (MMO) coatings represent the keystone of primary industrial processes like chlorine and caustic soda production, electronics, surface finishing & plating, hydrometallurgy, cathodic protection, electrochlorination, and disinfection. They recently extended their application into new rising markets like Energy Transition and CO2 reduction (water electrolysis, fuel cell power generators, CO2-to-chemicals) meanwhile retaining their central role. 

The electrode is a complex product that can be structured in plates, meshes, or porous foils such as Gas-Diffusion Electrodes (GDE) and incorporates a plurality of catalytic formulations. They combine a set of domains and competencies: each determines the result. Every single step in the electrode preparation affects the result.
Modern cells and systems provide additional value incorporating and combining sophisticated design features with the properties of advanced electrodes to secure energy-efficient, reliable, durable, and easy operation to the end-user.
The observation during preparation, the sensitivity in results interpretation, the experience, and the competencies are essential for generating a successful product.

At a glance:

•   5 research centers in Milan - Italy, Concord - Ohio USA, Fujisawa & Okayama - Japan
•   + 280 different patent families with over 2,800 territorial extensions
•   + 100 Researchers and Specialized employees from all over the world

The vast background acquired over time is energized by international research teams that include highly skilled PhDs, scientists, engineers, and technicians fully committed to continuing the journey started by our Founders.
The Research and Development (R&D) is organized into different tasks with different focuses:

New Applications Research (NAR)

Our highly qualified researchers work together to develop electrochemical solutions to support the global decarbonization effort, circular economy, and clean water. Today, our primary focus is on developing catalyst coatings and cell components for Alkaline and PEM Water Electrolysis for Green Hydrogen production. Our R&D labs can test developmental components at various scales and cell designs under relevant operating conditions in fully automated 24/7 operation facilities. 

Our NAR researchers also have ongoing development programs for DSA® and GDE electrodes in fuel cells, electrochemical hydrogen compression and purification, CO2 conversion to chemicals and green fuels, and Electrical Energy Storage (EES) technologies. We have dedicated laboratory-scale fabrication and characterization facilities to produce and test both DSA® and GDE style electrodes and Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA) for these applications to ensure our products have been fully optimized based on our customer specifications.

In Water Treatment, working closely with our Water Technologies division, we are studying electrodes for Advanced Oxidation that produce molecules for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) abatement and water purification.

Electrodes Technologies

Our international team of researchers and technicians works in synergy with sales, product managers, operations, and customers to develop new products and improve the existing ones.
Inputs for development projects come either top-down (from the market and competitive scenario analysis, feedback from customers, manufacturing requirements) or bottom-up from technology and scientific advances that are continuously scanned and surveyed.
Electrochemistry, chemistry, materials science, and physics are the competencies our researchers exploit to create continuously improved products from concept to commercialization, strengthen our traditional business segments (Chlorine, Electronics, Water Treatment), and create new ones (Water Electrolysis, Fuel Cells).

Metal-based and Gas Diffusion Electrodes are internally conceived, developed, and produced at a laboratory scale, then funneled through screening tests at a progressive stage of complexity tailored for the specific application segment. Screening protocols include chemical, physicochemical, morphological, and electrochemical characterizations from benchtop to in-house pilot size. The development stage continues until the demonstration of manufacturability on industrial production lines, always supported by advanced processes like Agile®, Stage & Gate™, RCA, and FMA to rationalize and optimize the journey from concept to product.

Utmost attention is dedicated to Health, Safety, and Environmental aspects and the ethic and sustainability of the base materials selected, accomplishing the most advanced standards of the industry. 

Engineering

The mission of our design engineers is to conceive and develop new cells, electrolyzers, and systems to fulfill the most demanding requirements of the industry, also in this case, in synergy with sales, product managers, Operations, and customers.
De Nora Engineers competency spaces through principles of reactors design, transport phenomena, hydraulics, materials science, chemical engineering, process & instrumentation, mechanical and electrical engineering, and is supported by the most advanced instrumentation and design tools such as modeling via Finite Element Method (FEM).
New cells & systems are internally conceived and developed via digital design, followed by physical specimens and digital twins funneled through a series of screening tests at progressive stages of complexity. The development stage goes on until the construction of pilot units and their qualification in the field. In this case, the development is supported by advanced processes like Agile®, Stage & Gate™, RCA, and FMA to rationalize and optimize the journey from concept to product.
Utmost attention is dedicated to the product's Health, Safety, and Environmental aspects and the sustainability and ethics of the base materials.

Pilot Tests

De Nora laboratories own a peculiar level of testing called “Pilot.”
“Pilot” corresponds to a perfect mimic of industrial cells at a sufficiently smaller size to manage a plurality of units in-house but big enough to represent a commercial unit fully. The combination between the available number of pilot cells and their flexibility allows for exploring operational aspects and offset combinations that are otherwise complicated to be implemented on full-size industrial units.
Pilot cells are tailored for the specific application segment, and the electrolyzer model represents a powerful tool to ease the transition from the laboratory to the field.
Pilot labs are available in all 5 R&D locations: Italy, Japan (2 centers), and the USA (2 centers).

Analytical

All R&D laboratory locations (Milan, Concord, Fujisawa, and Okayama) are equipped with Analytical facilities to support researchers' work and provide specialistic service to Operations upon request.
Analytical laboratories include all instrumental analysis tools, ranging from wet analysis to X-Ray techniques and Microscopy imaging. Their investigation capability is critical to support R&D in the diagnosis of new and operated electrodes.

Production Technologies

Production Technologies (PT) is a corporate function with the primary mission of bridging between R&D and Operations, realizing projects for new products industrialization and technology know-how transfer among R&D laboratories and local production plants, as well as from plant to plant in the different De Nora’s legal entities.
In their role, PT members drive the New Product Industrialization process scale-up and prototyping, maintaining and sharing the intellectual capital on products and production technologies, providing technical support for product modification and improvement, and ad-hoc technical requests.

Global Intellectual Property

De Nora, since its foundation, has trusted in the value of protection of inventions and know-how. Our innovation tradition has started with the first patent directed to an improved electrolytic cell that has laid down solid bases for the development of new technologies on electrodes that have permitted the economic growth of De Nora for decades.
In the last 20 years, the Global Intellectual Property Department has grown up in terms of staff, expertise and provides IP services to the whole De Nora group, from patents to trade secrets, from trademarks to IP due diligence, from IP searches to IP assistance in research and Open Innovation projects.
The IP department works in close collaboration with all the Company's main functions across all regions. We routinely interact with researchers, management, marketing, business development, and the legal department.