Unlocking the Full Potential of Electrolysis with Next-Generation Proton Exchange Membrane Stacks

The UNICORN project will result in a disruptive change in the development of water electrolysers with proton exchange membranes (PEMWE), which today use bipolar plates of platinum-coated titanium and perfluorinated membranes with large amounts of iridium catalyst.

Within the project, coated bipolar plates of stainless steel and hydrocarbon membranes with reduced iridium amounts will be developed and tested. The components developed, combined with a unique operational design, lead to reduced costs and increased sustainability aspects for PEMWEs.

A 40 kW PEMWE stack of these innovations, together with techno-economic and life-cycle analysis of the system, will demonstrate the potential for lower economic and environmental costs for, and thus increased use of, green hydrogen.