Syensqo's ion-exchange polymer powers aircraft fuel cell assembly
Last update on Feb 12, 2026
Syensqo marks the second anniversary of its strategic partnership with Climate Impulse, the ambitious initiative led by explorers Bertrand Piccard and Raphaël Dinelli to achieve the first non-stop, zero emission, round-the-world flight powered by green hydrogen.
Building on the project’s first year, the collaboration has now reached a new milestone, with Syensqo’s Aquivion® ion-exchange polymer confirmed in the fuel cell membrane electrode assembly supporting the range performance of the aircraft.
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Solutions capable of meeting constraints of hydrogen aviation
The major aircraft structures, including wings, cockpit and fuselage, manufactured with Syensqo composites solutions have been produced in les Sables d’Olonnes. The unprecedented technological challenge of the building of the plane should reach completion by the end of the year. Initial test flights of the Climate Impulse aircraft will then be scheduled in Châteauroux, France.
As the project’s main technology partner, Syensqo contributes advanced materials expertise, application engineering and system-level co-development. A central focus of the collaboration is the development of solutions capable of meeting the extreme constraints of hydrogen aviation.
The collaboration also draws on Syensqo’s green hydrogen laboratory in Bollate, Italy, which supports research, testing and validation activities related to the hydrogen value chain, from materials innovation to applied system performance, helping to accelerate development timelines and de-risk emerging solutions.
“Climate Impulse exemplifies how science, innovation and partnership can come together to address some of the most complex challenges of our time. With our lightweight composite materials and now confirming our ion-exchange polymer material at the heart of the chemical reaction to power the aircraft, we are demonstrating how advanced materials can help turn the ambition of zero-emission non-stop round the world flight into a tangible reality,” Mike Radossich, CEO of Syensqo.
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Aim to realize zero-emission aviation
With this non-stop round-the-world mission, Bertrand Piccard and co-pilot Raphaël Dinelli aim to demonstrate that zero-emission aviation is not a distant vision, but an achievable reality.
In line with its One Planet roadmap, the project reflects Syensqo’s ambition and capabilities to enable decarbonization across industries.
“Syensqo is a major strategic and technological partner, without whom the Climate Impulse project could not have been announced or even considered. Together, we are showing that high tech light-weighted material can enable solutions once considered impossible, including clean, long-range aviation,” Bertrand Piccard, chairman and initiator of Climate Impulse.