High performance materials for green hydrogen production without critical raw materials

Refining materials for scalable hydrogen production

To achieve this goal, optimising individual cell components of a stack is a crucial step. Before scaling up to a full electrolyser system, researchers focused on refining catalysts, membranes, and porous transport layers in small-area cells. This process ensures that each component is fine-tuned for efficiency, durability, and long-term operation.

The Italian Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) have investigated the influence of the substrate used for the electrode as well as the type of porous transport layer, which was designed and manufactured by Bekaert, employed for the transport of produced gas. CENmat provided catalyst coated substrates using high- performance CRM-free catalysts. CNR and DLR have performed extensive tests to assess both performance and stability of the HYScale components.

A direct comparison with a commercial polymer, Piperion™, has demonstrated the performance advantage of CENmat PFAS-free AionFLX™ membrane and ionomer. Moreover, durability tests have shown the stability of the HYScale components, meeting the objectives of the project.

As stated by Julien Fage, polymer chemist and engineer at CENmat: “Scaling up material innovations from lab-scale to industrial electrolysers requires overcoming challenges in durability, manufacturability, and cost-efficiency. HYScale tackles these by integrating advanced materials with scalable processing techniques, ensuring performance and stability at a competitive cost.”

Scaling up: large area cell assessment

Building on small-cell optimisation, the HYScale team has developed a large-area cell, vital for meeting the project’s scalability targets. Drawing on CNR’s expertise, the architecture was adjusted to improve cost-effectiveness and manufacturing efficiency.

The large cell was meticulously designed with two primary objectives in mind: cost efficiency and high performance. To achieve these goals, the design incorporates specialised solutions for the frames, sealing, and transport layers. By optimising the design and carefully selecting materials, the number of machining steps was minimised, lowering the cost while maintaining the high performance required for the application.

A key innovation in this phase was the decision to adopt a flow-field-free design—an approach that brings multiple advantages for both production and performance. As Nicola Briguglio, senior researcher from CNR explains: “The decision to adopt a flow-field-free design was driven by the need to simplify the architecture of the AEM short stack and reduce manufacturing complexity. Additionally, eliminating the flow field reduces the overall thickness of the stack and facilitates a more compact and lightweight design, which is beneficial for system integration and scale-up.”

Efforts have focused on optimising the cell structure by reducing frame thickness and validating the materials previously tested in small single cells. With testing now underway as part of the short-stack phase, HYScale is advancing towards integrating these improvements into a fully functional electrolyser system.

As shown, HYScale continues to make advancements in cost-effective and scalable hydrogen production. By optimising materials and refining cell design, the project is laying the groundwork for more efficient electrolyser systems. While testing moves forward in the short-stack phase, HYScale remains focused on demonstrating the viability of its innovations in real-world applications, bringing Europe closer to its clean energy goals.

A detailed report on HYScale’s latest developments, including technical findings and next steps, is available for download on the project website.