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For the transformation to a CO₂-neutral society, large amounts of green hydrogen are needed, e.g. for fuel cells, emission-free steel or power-to-X applications (fertilizers, …). Besides the electricity price, the investment costs and the lifetime of the electrolysers are significantly responsible for the hydrogen production costs. Due to the large cost reduction potential, alkaline electrolysis with a „anion exchange membrane“ (AEM) is a highly attractive technology. It promises to combine the advantages of the established alkaline and acidic membrane-based electrolysis, i.e. low-cost materials with high current densities and high efficiency.

The use of hydrogen fuel cells in vehicles and trucks is one possibility to reduce the CO2-emissions emitted by the transport sector. Since the catalyst is one of the main cost drivers in the system, this area has become the focus of research in the past years. The junior research group „Electrochemical Energy Systems“ at the Institute of Microsystems Engineering and the Hahn-Schickard-Institute in Freiburg investigates state-of-the-art hydrogen technologies and develops novel fuel cell concepts in cooperation with industry partners.

30% of CO2 emission in German road traffic are caused by heavy-duty vehicles, although they account for only 10% of all vehicles. Therefore, significant amounts of CO2 can be saved in this sector by electrifying relatively few vehicles. This can be done most economically with fuel cells. For this purpose, fuel cells for long lifetimes (30 000 h) must be developed.

Water electrolysis based on proton exchange membranes is a key technology to produce green hydrogen. Since the production of fluorine-free proton exchange membranes may be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than for the commonly used perfluorosulfonic acids, the aim of our project is to develop a long-term stable proton exchange membrane based on hydrocarbons.