Fraunhofer seeks industrial partners for hydrogen elastomer project

Darmstadt, Germany - Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF is seeking new industrial partners for a project to develop elastomers for hydrogen sealing & transfer applications.

Project Elastolox aims to find elastomeric alternatives to high-resistance fluoropolymers, which could be impacted by proposed PFAS regulations in the EU, the German institute announced 22 Aug.

Fraunhofer LBF is now looking for partners to jointly investigate the suitability of elastomers for use in electrolysers and fuel cells.

The team will particularly focus on polymers offering resistance to the “extreme" oxidative-alkaline conditions that occur in electrolysers used for hydrogen technology.

“Alternative substitute materials must be identified and evaluated in terms of their resistance in alkaline environments and oxygen atmospheres and their mechanical properties,” said Fraunhofer LBF.

According to the research institute, polymers currently play a crucial role in hydrogen technology and enable the development of sustainable and weight-optimised components.

The materials are used, for example, in housings and bipolar plates of fuel cells and electrolysers, in fibre composites and liners in hydrogen pressure tanks, as well as in sealing components, pipes and pipelines.

However, there is “a lack of information” on the behaviour of most polymer materials, including elastomers, under long-term exposure to the aggressive media found in these applications.

“Media conditions are diverse and include gases such as hydrogen and oxygen or liquids such as coolants, product water, acidic or basic electrolytes,” it explained.

For the research work, Fraunhofer LBF said it will use its “tailor-made methods” to characterise and understand the media impact on polymers in hydrogen technology.

For instance, the team will use results of previous tests on the cyclic tensile behaviour of HDPE samples under pressurised hydrogen.

The test, according to Fraunhofer LBF, has shown that it is "essential" to take into account the relevant influencing factors on the material properties.

Furthermore, the research will encompass a wide variety of possible mechanical stresses that can occur under different loading speeds and frequencies .

To be based at Fraunhofer institute’s hydrogen performance centre - hydrogen GreenMat4H 2 - the project will also cover the analysis and development of aging models and simulation methods for polymer materials.