TreadStone Technologies Advances DOE-Funded Program to Cut Flow Battery Electrode and Plate Costs Up to 53%

MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J., September 1, 2026. TreadStone Technologies, Inc., a Tier 1-Ready supplier of patented precision coatings for fuel cells, electrolyzers, and flow batteries, today announced it has advanced into Phase 3 of a U.S. Department of Energy-funded program to cut the cost of flow battery electrodes and bipolar plates by up to 53%. Phase 3 is the program's commercialization stage.

The program, supported by DOE's Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), centers on TreadStone's proprietary carbon coating, DuraC. Applied to metal substrates through roll-to-roll or spray manufacturing processes, DuraC is built to replace the costlier carbon-graphite bipolar plates and electrode substrates used across the flow battery industry today, at equal or better performance.

DuraC's case rests on two things: durability and efficiency. The coating is engineered to hold up in some of the harshest electrochemical environments in energy storage, including bromine-based chemistries, while maintaining the low contact resistance and high energy efficiency flow battery systems need over a full service life. TreadStone is validating the coating in parallel across multiple chemistries: zinc-bromine, all-iron, and aqueous organic. That makes DuraC electrolyte-agnostic by design.

"There's a misconception that carbon means cheap," said Eric Shepardson, President and COO of TreadStone Technologies. "It doesn't. What it means is durable enough to survive some of the toughest chemistries we test against, including bromine, without giving up performance. Durability, efficiency, and a cost reduction of up to 53% on the two most expensive components in a flow battery stack: that's a combination worth paying attention to."

As part of Phase 3, TreadStone is building a flow battery system for independent testing and validation at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a proof point ahead of commercial deployment.

Flow batteries are widely seen as the leading technology for long-duration grid storage, four hours or more, a category lithium-ion cannot serve economically at scale. Cost and component durability have been the two barriers holding back wider deployment, and electrode and plate coatings are the most direct lever for closing that cost gap. A DOE-funded program reaching a commercialization phase is a meaningful signal. It means a rigorous federal funding body has reviewed and funded the underlying science.

The DuraC program builds on TreadStone's broader track record in corrosion-resistant, conductive coatings, developed originally for fuel cells and electrolyzers and now extended into flow batteries. Since 2010, the company has been awarded more than $12 million in competitively bid U.S. government grants, and its research partnerships include DOE national laboratories such as Sandia National Laboratories, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

About TreadStone Technologies

TreadStone Technologies, Inc. develops patented, high-performance corrosion-resistant coatings for electrochemical energy systems and advanced manufacturing platforms. The company's Direct Particle Binding (DPB) technology enables customers to reduce material costs, extend component lifetimes, and improve system efficiency across fuel cell, electrolyzer, flow battery, aerospace, and defense applications. TreadStone holds 67 patents and maintains relationships with the U.S. Department of Energy and Tier 1 aerospace and defense customers. Headquartered in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. Learn more at treadstone-technologies.com.