The EU Green Deal can be summarised as a commitment to become the first climate-neutral continent. The proposed project will enable the development of key components to achieve this goal. A cornerstone of achieving a sustainable energy economy will be the development of efficient and competitive storage systems. Green hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be used as an alternative fuel or as a reducing agent in the production of green steel. Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is already a suitable method for producing pure hydrogen for energy storage. In this project, various components of existing systems will be optimised to enable the implementation of a cost-effective and sustainable production process. The main challenge in advancing acidic water electrolysis is to improve the anode, i.e. the oxygen electrode. Due to the slow reaction kinetics, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the rate-limiting partial reaction in the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen. This issue is addressed by using noble metal catalysts with high activity for the OER, such as iridium or ruthenium. In addition to their catalytic properties, the corrosion resistance of the materials used is also crucial for the longevity of the electrolyser. The acidic process media and the high anodic potentials make the use of noble metals essential. The project aims to reduce the use of precious metals at the anode by improving the catalyst application. The distribution of the catalyst across the surfaces is the key factor in achieving a lower electrode loading without compromising performance. Pulse plating technology will be used to deposit nanoscale iridium particles onto the electrodes. To ensure sustainability in the use of these raw materials, the project proposes a recycling concept for the electrochemical separation of the precious metals from the rest of the stack at the end of their service life. Titanium is used as the current distributor on the anode side. According to the current state of the art, fine fluxes, meshes or sintered components are used. The disadvantages include particularly high manufacturing costs, large manufacturing tolerances and the thickness of the base bodies. The further development of highly filled special papers based on titanium fillers, as envisaged in the project, represents a promising avenue for the large-scale production of titanium current distributors, thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing costs of the stack. Corrosion resistance plays a decisive role in the evaluation of the electrode assembly with regard to the long-term stability of electrolysis. As an alternative to precious metal coatings (with platinum or gold), the titanium bodies are to be hydrided prior to loading with catalyst particles. The formation of titanium hydrides offers technical advantages in addition to cost savings. The hydrides are excellent electron conductors, so conductivity is maintained. In the subsequent process step, their reducing properties can be utilised for the electrochemical immobilisation of the catalyst particles. The central component of the project will be the characterisation of the fabricated electrodes in terms of their corrosion properties and activity for OER. The consortium will also be able to develop a complete membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) test rig and thus investigate the performance of the developed electrodes within the cell as well as their long-term stability. The DC-PEM project covers the value chain from TRL2 to TRL5 and brings together four R&D organisations and one SME, each with different R&D skills and knowledge. The partners complement each other perfectly in terms of technical expertise to develop, manufacture and test cost-effective anodes for PEM water electrolysis. Consequently, the results of the DC-PEM project can make a significant contribution to the cost-effective production and storage of green hydrogen from renewable energy sources.

Many everyday products, such as automotive and electronic components, medical devices and public infrastructure, are manufactured using metallised plastics. The Plating on Plastic (PoP) process is complex and requires substantial quantities of raw materials, such as water and electricity. Furthermore, only a few types of plastic, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polyamide (PA), are suitable for this process due to the good adhesion between the plastic and the metal. Furthermore, hexavalent chromium, which is toxic and harmful to the environment, is used in the pre-treatment of plastics. Under the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) regulation, chromium(VI) compounds are banned in Europe and may only be used with special authorisation. The aim of this project is to replace the carcinogenic conventional wet-chemical pre-treatment process for the metallisation of plastics with a novel and sustainable process. In the first step, the plastic surface is activated using a laser-induced graphene (LIG) or pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process to produce an electrically conductive layer. Thanks to this conductive layer, it is possible to electrodeposit single or multilayer metal layers for functional or decorative purposes. Another objective of this project is to simulate both the laser and electrodeposition processes using a mathematical model. Through computer-aided process modelling, predictions can also be made regarding the properties of the layers as a function of process parameters. Overall, the innovative laser-activated and computer-simulated pre-treatment of plastics is a clean technology, as no toxic chemicals are required and no wastewater is produced. In addition to the technical objectives of the project, the project staff will also receive further training in the areas of teaching, social, environmental and management skills.