Grupo Antolin investigates carbon nanofibers to promote the development of the hydrogen fuel cell.
Grupo Antolin is investigating the potential of carbon nanofibers in improving the efficiency, durability and cost reduction of critical components of the new generation of hydrogen fuel cells. The company wants to contribute to the development of a key technology to make electric mobility more profitable, efficient and accessible and, in this way, promote sustainability in the automotive industry.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are presented as the great alternative, along with electric batteries , to fossil combustion cars. A technology that is attracting more and more attention for its potential sustainability. It does not cause emissions, except for high purity water, allows refueling as fast as in the case of fossil fuels and achieves similar autonomies.
As part of its lines of innovation, Grupo Antolin has been working for years in processes for obtaining carbon nanofibers with optimized properties for different industrial applications in sectors such as aeronautics, textiles, chemicals, electronics and the automotive industry.
As a result of these works, nanofibers have been generated with excellent electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance and specific surface features, making this material ideal for application in electrodes of the electrochemical cells that make up the hydrogen cell.
In this application, carbon nanofibers serve as physical support for platinum nanoparticles that act as a catalyst for certain chemical reactions. Due to their properties, nanofibers allow, among other things, to reduce the amount of platinum used and significantly improve the durability of the electrodes as well as the overall efficiency of the system.
Among the different types of hydrogen batteries developed to date for the automotive industry, those based on cells with a Polymeric Electrolyte Proton Exchange Membrane (PEMFC) are currently the ones with the highest potential due to their high power density and operating range. In this type of batteries, the set formed by the electrodes and the polymeric membrane that separates them in each cell is called MEA (Membrane Electrode Assembly).
This is the essential component of the system since the final performance of the fuel cell depends mainly on its design and architecture.
Grupo Antolin’s research in this field focuses on combining the potential of its carbon nanofibers with an adequate deposition process so that it can be applied in the manufacture of MEA devices.
Javier Villacampa, Grupo Antolin’s Corporate Director of Innovation.
So far, we have obtained very promising results in laboratory tests, generating MEA devices with performances, in terms of electrical power, comparable to those on the market.
“And we have achieved this by using half the platinum and with degradation levels ten times lower after the same operating cycles”.
Currently, the company is promoting this line of research in collaboration with several national and European institutes and universities in order to modify the properties of nanofibers and optimize the processing technology to generate MEA systems.
These works are part of Grupo Antolin’s strategic commitment to contribute to the development of sustainable mobility through R&D and technological innovation in both processes and products.
The company wants to be a benchmark in the automotive industry for its respect for the environment, as well as for its contribution to the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Grupo Antolin investigates with carbon nanofibers to promote the development of the hydrogen fuel cell, June 3, 2021
