Tag: clean energy innovation
Moving clean energy from the lab to the factory floor is one of the biggest hurdles in the green hydrogen transition. Within the framework of the EU-funded NICKEFFECT project, CIDETEC Surface Engineering—in collaboration with Elsyca and the Autonomous University of Barcelona—has achieved a major milestone for Use Case 1 by successfully scaling up the production of next-generation, CRM-free electrodes to an industrially relevant pilot line. By replicating high lab efficiencies at a larger scale and securing a patent for the innovation, this breakthrough bypasses critical raw material dependencies and paves the way for highly efficient, affordable, and commercially viable green hydrogen production.
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.
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.
The problem of unprecedented volumes of data and the need to reduce devices’ energy consumption
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 NICKEFFECT project continues its mission to revolutionise electrocatalysis by replacing scarce and costly platinum with more abundant nickel-based alloys. In the latest instalment of the Young Scientific Talk series, […]