PhD (M/F) Developing the Core Components of the Catalytic Layer of a High Temperature Proton…

The Institute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy, Environment and Health (ICPEES), is a joint research unit under the supervision of the CNRS and the University of Strasbourg (UMR7515). Its staff includes about fifty permanents and more than 80 non-permanent among doctoral students, post-docs and other fixed-term contracts.
The project will integrally take place at the institute of chemistry and processes for energy, environment and health (ICPEES), in the electrochemistry and energy conversion team (ECE), under the supervision of Dr. Sergey Pronkin and Dr. Tristan Asset.

This project operates within a major European consortium, including some of the most important actors in the aeronautics (Safran Power Units and Safran Tech) and the HT-PEMFCs (Advent Technology) fields, along with major research institutions in France (CEA) and Germany (Fraunhofer). Within the frame of the PhD, the candidate will directly collaborate with Safran Tech (in charge of developing the nanoparticles to be anchored on the carbon support), the CEA, that will support part of the physicochemical characterizations (e.g. microscopy, advanced X-ray diffraction) and Advent Technologies, that will design and optimize the ionomer binder used within the catalytic layers.

Aviation is expected to be responsible for an increased proportion of greenhouse gases emission by 2050, in contradiction with the current direction taken by the European Union to achieve climate neutrality. Hence, it is expected from new aircrafts to show a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions vs. aircrafts from 2000. To address this challenge, hydrogen-based technologies appear as a promising solution. However, the extremely high power required for aircrafts (1 MW) implies equivalent needs in terms of thermal dissipation, which are incompatible with the operating range (< 100°C) of the ‘classic’ proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Higher operation temperature are required, e.g. ca. 160°C, while maintaining the performances observed in < 100°C PEMFCs. The EU-project ‘next generation of improved high temperature membrane electrode assembly for aviation’ (NIMPHEA) aims to develop a new generation of high temperature PEMFCs (HT-PEMFCs) operating > 160°C, ranging from the design of the core components to their integration in the final structure. In the Institute of Chemistry and Physics for Energy, Environment and Health (ICPEES), we aim to develop the electrocatalytic materials to be implemented in small-size HT-PEMFCs to be used as prototype for the final design, aiming to reach final performances similar to those currently observed in < 100°C PEMFCs, i.e. 0.75 – 1.25 W cm-2geo and < 3 – 5 µV h-1 voltages losses. The research will focus around the development of (i) carbon supports with high graphitization/functionalization aiming to lead to high corrosion resistance and high active site dispersion; (ii) the anchoring of platinum-based nanoparticules on said carbon supports, to catalyse the reactions occurring at the HT-PEMFC anode (hydrogen oxidation reaction) and cathode (oxygen reduction reaction); (iii) the assessment the electrochemical stability, activity, and the resistance to poisoning of the electrocatalyst at T < 80°C, to provide much required insights to their implementation in HT-PEMFCs;