The Journey of NICKEFFECT’s CEN Workshop Agreement
The NICKEFFECT project has successfully bridged the gap between laboratory research and industrial application with the publication of CWA 18302:2026, a landmark CEN Workshop Agreement developed in collaboration with CEN-CENELEC. This document establishes the first harmonized European protocol for the electrochemical characterization of non-noble, porous metal-based electrodes for hydrogen generation in acidic media. By standardizing testing cells, activity parameters, and data reporting, this success story – led by CIDETEC, the Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE), and project coordinator Aliona Nicolenco – provides the scientific community with a critical tool to accelerate the development of cost-effective, PGM-free water electrolysis technologies, ensuring that early-stage material innovations can be reliably benchmarked and scaled for a net-zero future.
How Nickel Could Unlock the Future of Sustainable AI
The AI revolution is here, but it comes with a hidden cost: a massive surge in energy consumption. As our world becomes increasingly data-driven, the semiconductor industry is under immense pressure to find “green” storage solutions.
Enter MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random-Access Memory). Unlike traditional memory (DRAM) that forgets data the moment power is cut, MRAM is “non-volatile” – it holds onto information without needing a constant stream of electricity. However, today’s MRAM faces a sustainability hurdle. It relies heavily on Platinum (Pt), one of the rarest and most carbon-intensive metals on Earth. With 85% of the world’s Platinum coming from just two countries (South Africa and Russia), Europe’s tech independence is at risk.
How a common metal like Nickel could replace Platinum in electrolysers and accelerate the EU’s green transition
Imagine trying to replace the world’s best performer with a budget alternative—and not just match it, but get close enough to change the game. That’s the challenge facing scientists working to reduce the use of platinum in hydrogen production. And it’s the bold mission of the Horizon Europe project NICKEFFECT.
Hydrogen is a key pillar of the European Union’s plan to decarbonise its economy and reach climate neutrality by 2050. Produced through water electrolysis, hydrogen offers a clean energy carrier—especially when powered by renewables. The EU has set an ambitious target: installing 40 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030, which would produce millions of tonnes of green hydrogen annually.
Reducing Platinum in HT-PEM Fuel Cells
The NICKEFFECT project has successfully validated a transformative approach to High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells, a critical technology for decarbonizing heavy-duty transport, aviation, and shipping. By moving away from costly, “bulk” platinum catalysts, the project has developed an innovative Ni-W/Pt core-shell nanoparticle architecture.
This breakthrough replaces the expensive interior of catalyst particles with a low-cost nickel-based alloy, placing platinum only where it is needed: on the active surface. This “atom-efficient” design substantially reduces total platinum content without sacrificing the high-temperature durability or CO tolerance required for industrial use. By proving this technology at scale—moving from lab coupons to 46 cm² large-area electrodes—NICKEFFECT has paved a technically sound and cost-efficient path toward European strategic autonomy, ensuring a sustainable hydrogen economy that is no longer dependent on localized, expensive noble raw materials.
The problem of unprecedented volumes of data and the need to reduce devices’ energy consumption
Magneto-ionics refers to a specific mechanism of voltage-control of magnetism, where magnetic properties are tuned by driving ions (often oxygen ions) into and out of a metallic or metal oxide layer using an electric field. It has emerged as a possible path toward a memory that combines non-volatility, ultra-low energy, CMOS compatibility, analog operation (i.e., unlike conventional binary switching, ion motion can be gradual through intermediate oxygen concentrations), and high density, while speed and endurance should be improved.
Get to know the path of Dr. Roger de Paz Castany (UAB)
In large-scale European research initiatives, collaboration is often measured in work packages, milestones, and deliverables. But the true engine of innovation is the exchange of people and ideas. The NICKEFFECT project thrives on this philosophy, proving that cross-border mobility does not just advance materials science – it shapes the next generation of scientific leaders.
A prime example of this success is Dr. Roger De Paz Castany, who recently defended his PhD thesis in February 2026. His academic journey – a joint PhD between the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), anchored by a pivotal 3-month research stay (secondment) at VUB – highlights how bridging the gap between institutions elevates research quality and accelerates personal growth.
Active Learning Methodology Developed at Matgenix
To bridge the gap between theory and practice, the NICKEFFECT project applied this iterative Active Learning framework directly to the search for sustainable catalyst materials. By combining Matgenix’s predictive machine learning algorithms with the practical laboratory expertise of the project partners, the team could bypass the slow, traditional “one variable at a time” testing method. Instead of spending months or years blindly tweaking manufacturing settings, the AI systematically mapped out the most promising combinations of material compositions and processing conditions. This streamlined approach was put to the test in the project’s first major case study: optimizing a high-performing, cost-effective alternative to scarce precious metals for green hydrogen production.
