{"id":15764,"date":"2026-05-06T13:32:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zbt.de\/news\/new-method-makes-materials-for-pem-fuel-cells-easier-to-evaluate\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T13:33:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T13:33:23","slug":"new-method-makes-materials-for-pem-fuel-cells-easier-to-evaluate","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/zbt.de\/en\/news\/new-method-makes-materials-for-pem-fuel-cells-easier-to-evaluate\/","title":{"rendered":"New method makes materials for PEM fuel cells easier to evaluate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New method makes it easier to evaluate materials for use in PEM fuel cell systems<\/h1>\n

New scientific publication on material qualification, PEM fuel cells and statistical validation<\/h4>\n

How can materials for fuel cell systems be reliably evaluated before they affect performance and service life in real operation? Denis Gr\u00fcn and Ulrich Misz from the ZBT have statistically validated an in-situ test method for material qualification<\/strong> for PEM fuel cells, thereby creating an important basis for reproducible material evaluations<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Why knowledge about material emissions is crucial<\/h2>\n

Hydrogen-based technologies such as PEM fuel cells react very sensitively to impurities in the gas streams<\/strong>. Materials from balance-of-plant components in particular, such as seals, hoses or connecting elements, can release volatile organic substances. These substances can reach the membrane electrode unit and impair the performance of the fuel cell. <\/p>\n

The new publication shows how such material-related influences can be investigated under realistic conditions. To this end, potential material emissions<\/strong> are introduced directly into the gas flow of a PEM fuel cell. The cell voltage then serves as a sensitive indicator of whether and to what extent a material influences the fuel cell performance. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Reproducible results for material qualification<\/h2>\n

The work focuses on the question of how precise and reliable the developed test method is. To this end, numerous reference measurements<\/strong> were carried out under identical conditions and systematically evaluated. The results show a high level of reproducibility and very low methodological scatter. <\/p>\n

In exemplary material measurements, clear differences between different polymers could also be made visible. The observed material effects were clearly above the natural measurement scatter of the method. The publication thus creates a basis for future, statistically verified material screenings<\/strong> and for the further development of qualification procedures in the field of PEM fuel cells. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Open Access: Publication <\/h2>\n

The publication has been published in the journal Energies<\/em> and describes the validation of the in-situ method developed at ZBT for material qualification for PEM fuel cells. The open access article<\/strong> provides detailed insights into the test setup, evaluation and results. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Any questions?<\/h3>\n

gladly to<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\n Denis Gr\u00fcn\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n <\/svg><\/i>\n +49 203 7598-4288<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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Research at ZBT: Understanding, evaluating and further developing fuel cells<\/h2>\n

The ZBT conducts research into hydrogen and fuel cell technologies along the entire value chain, from materials and components to systems and applications. The new publication is an example of how experimental research, test stand development and data evaluation work together to make fuel cell systems more reliable and economical. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Further publications<\/h2>\n
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