The production of hydrogen by means of electrolysis is one of the prerequisites for the transition to a CO2-neutral energy economy, in particular through the use of electrical energy from renewable sources and the development of a decentralized supply infrastructure. In order to meet the forecast demand for hydrogen, it is necessary to expand electrolysis capacities and thus upscale the production of electrolysers. The components of the electrolysers must be cost-effective to manufacture and at the same time meet the high requirements for stability and service life. A promising strategy for the cost-effective production of the metallic components of a stack is functionalization with electroplated protective layers. The coating systems must both protect the base material (e.g. stainless steel) against corrosion and have a low contact resistance in order to avoid ohmic voltage losses. In the StacIE project, coating systems for bipolar plates and porous transport layers are being researched and tested under real conditions in an electrolyser stack.
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Funding reference 03HY103E
Funding program hydrogen lead projects
Duration 01.04.2021 - 31.03.2025
Contact persons Dr.-Ing. Martin Leimbach, Dr.-Ing. Mario Kurniawan