Our PhD Students

The PhD thesis is carried out in the framework of the Italian project PERMANENT, whose aim is to understand the main degradation mechanisms responsible for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) ageing under real heavy-duty operating conditions. Once that the main degradation paths have been identified and investigated, advanced materials and mitigation strategies able to extend components lifetime will be proposed and developed. More in detail, hydrogen powered proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) represent a promising technology to decarbonize the transport sector. Thanks to the high efficiency and power density, zero emissions of pollutants, noise-free operation, long range and fast refuelling time, they are suitable for automotive and heavy duty applications Nevertheless, there are still important improvements that are needed to accelerate the spread of the technology by either reducing the cost or extending the durability of components. In this sense, the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) and the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) are the two crucial components of the stack. In this scenario, my PhD research deals with the comprehension and modelling of the main degradation mechanisms responsible for CCL and PEM ageing in such a way to properly design vehicle powertrain and to develop ad-hoc system-mitigation strategies able to optimize system efficiency and lifetime.