ZBT is part of several alliances of the BMBF lead project H2Giga, in which various electrolysis technologies are being made fit for series production. ZBT is focusing on alkaline (AlFaKat) and acidic (PEP.IN and Degrad.EL3) membrane electrolysis. Both technologies do not require a liquid electrolyte and therefore offer advantages over classical electrolysis processes in terms of safety and complexity.
The lead project H2 Giga consists of about 30 independent collaborative projects with the participation of large industrial partners, start-ups and research institutions. The three joint projects in which the ZBT is involved deal with artificial intelligence, quality assurance and novel catalysts.
Degrad-EL3 is the title of the joint project in which ZBT is pushing ahead with the development of artificial neural networks (KNN) to predict the performance of PEM electrolysis stacks. PEM stands for Proton Exchange Membrane, a proton-conducting polymer membrane that separates the two electrode compartments in the corresponding water electrolysis cell and through which hydrogen, in the form of positively charged ions, is transported from the anode to the cathode. There, molecular hydrogen is formed together with added electrons, while oxygen remains at the anode. This technology has been known for a long time and corresponding products are on the market. But for economic use in the multi-MW to GW range, many components in the electrolysis stacks must become more efficient and cheaper. This requires the development of new materials and components with extensive testing and trials. KNN should help to reduce the number and duration of tests and still be able to make valid statements about the long-term stability of the new developments. However, at the beginning, the artificial intelligence itself needs a lot of information about the performance behaviour of stacks depending on the operating conditions and the operating history; the KNNs have to be trained or taught. Therefore, ZBT is expanding its capacities for testing PEM electrolysis cells and stacks and, in parallel, expanding the already existing KNN.
The PEP.IN project is also about PEM electrolysis – here the focus is on quality assurance in series production: what defects may components have and can still be installed as good parts, and where are the limits that define rejects? The answers to these questions are extremely important for the realisation of cost- and resource-efficient series production. Together with partners from industry and science, the ZBT wants to gain essential new insights into this.
The joint project AlFaKat (Alkaline Case Catalyst) focuses on the use of novel catalysts in alkaline membrane water electrolysis. Together with RWTH Aachen University and KCS Europe, a new process for catalyst production is to be developed. Particularly innovative here is the approach of letting the carrier materials fall through the plasma of the coating – this explains the title of the project – and thus applying the active components of the core-shell particles to the carrier layer by layer. The advantage of alkaline membrane water electrolysis: precious metal-free catalysts can be used, which reduces costs and conserves the resources of valuable precious metals. In addition, compared to PEM electrolysis, there is less corrosion potential due to the alkaline reaction environment. The ZBT leads this network and is responsible for the operation and characterisation of the catalysts in electrolysis single cells. In particular, the ZBT can contribute here its previous experience in the production of the membrane-electrode units as the heart of the electrolysis cells and transfer it to novel and hitherto little-used alkaline polymer membranes and refine the know-how here.
- Projects of the Departments Electrolysis and Batteries (PEP.IN and Degrad.EL3) and New Materials and Technologies (AlFaKat)
- Electrolysis research at ZBT
