Addressing the sustainability and criticality of electrolyser and fuel cell materials

A robust supply chain based on validated sustainable materials and components will ensure that the competitiveness of European electrolyser and fuel cell industry is not compromised by future legislative or supply constraints. Some of the current fuel cell and electrolyser technologies have developed from historically niche applications where reliability and performance were deemed more important than long-term sustainability, use of critical raw materials or even cost. This has led to the use of CRM in catalysts, electrolytes, coatings and bipolar plates at levels that are not sustainable over the long term, in the absence of robust separation and recycling routes. It has also led to ubiquitous recourse to ionomer membranes based on perfluoro sulfonic acid electrolytes, novel recycling and validated re-use routes of which are essential.

These materials are critically important in providing the requested high levels of performance and durability of state-of-the-art fuel cells and electrolysers. Breakthrough research is required to find alternatives in order to guarantee the development of a secure and clean hydrogen economy in Europe. To date, focus on reducing precious metals loading has been on reduction or replacement of platinum in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, these are only two aspects of a much broader requirement to address the sustainability of the critical materials used with a view to their replacement, reduction and/or recycle/re-use.

This topic addresses the sustainability of the fuel cell and electrolyser component supply chain by the development of technical advancements in (i) replacement of the critical (raw) materials currently used in fuel cells and electrolysers (ii) reduction in the amount of CRM used (iii) developing recycling approaches for materials critical for fuel cells and electrolysers, including novel means of dissociating and separating components.

The following items are within the scope of this topic, which comprise both low and high temperature electrolyser and fuel cell technologies:

• Development, characterisation and validation of novel materials free of critical raw materials (according to the European Union's 2020 CRM list), non-sustainable or environmentally unacceptable components, or with reduced content of such critical materials or components in fuel cells and electrolysers to levels consistent with the SRIA targets without compromising their performance and durability;
• Development of innovative materials, coatings, processing routes, electrode architectures and cell designs to reduce platinum group metal and other CRMs loading in electrolysers and fuel cells;
• Development of breakthrough high-efficiency solutions for recycling the critical materials and critical components of fuel cells and electrolysers, including associated separation steps, with focus on recycling of perfluoro sulfonic acid ionomers for reuse, and on recycling of iridium. Industrially mature technologies are already in use for platinum recycling, however, solutions designed to reduce the potential environmental impact of non-Pt components of a Pt alloy (for instance, non-exclusively, Ni and Co) within the recycle stream are within the topic scope;
• Lifecycle analyses of the most prospective new technology/ies to demonstrate the sustainability of the proposed solutions.

The development of characterisation and test methods and protocols for evaluation of new and recycled materials and of complete cells is considered within the scope of the topic, however alignment should be made with those in use to qualify current state-of-the-art materials (i.e. those using critical raw materials, platinum group metals and perfluoro sulfonic acid membranes and ionomers).

The novel materials or materials from an intended recycling loop should be validated for their performance and durability in single cells using, as far as possible, EU harmonised protocols (including, as relevant, tolerance to impurities) with direct comparison with the performance/durability of cells with current, state-of-the-art materials under the same conditions.

Consortia should gather comprehensive expertise and experience from the European research community to ensure broad impact by addressing several of the items above. Partners should have proven expertise and the requisite means of electrolyser and fuel cells materials development, characterisation and testing. Industrial guidance is considered essential, for instance through an industrial advisory board. Proposals should explain how the results will be exploited, and how key advances from the activities will be communicated to the broader community to ensure rapid uptake of developments by end-users. To facilitate this communication, dissemination should have high priority and most deliverables should be public. The public annual progress report should include, as necessary, recommendations for future activities.

Activities are expected to start at TRL 2 and achieve TRL 4 by the end of the project.

At least one partner in the consortium must be a member of either Hydrogen Europe or Hydrogen Europe Research.

The maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution that may be requested is EUR 10.00 million – proposals requesting Clean Hydrogen JU contributions above this amount will not be evaluated.

The conditions related to this topic are provided in the chapter 2.2.3.2 of the Clean Hydrogen JU 2022 Annual Work Plan and in the General Annexes to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021–2022 which apply mutatis mutandis.