At the Eco Mobility Conference, Heiko Hirschmann from Graz University of Technology presented his abstract:

“Electrolyte durability in HT-PEMFCs under HDV operating conditions.”

Heavy-duty vehicles account for nearly 27% of road transport greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, making decarbonization critical. High-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) offer a promising solution, but their long-term stability is challenged by phosphoric acid (PA) leaching in conventional PBI-based membranes.

Heiko’s research compared MEAs based on PBI with those using ion-pair membranes (IPMs) under accelerated stress tests at high temperatures, simulating real heavy-duty vehicle conditions. Using advanced analytical techniques such as spectrophotometry and ion chromatography, the study found that IPMs retained phosphoric acid more effectively than PBI membranes, showing lower acid loss rates overall.

At moderate high temperatures, IPMs maintained performance throughout the test duration, while PBI membranes showed significant degradation. At even higher temperatures, IPMs eventually experienced membrane rupture before completing the test, indicating areas where further improvements are needed.

This work is a major step toward standardized durability testing and advancing HT-PEMFC technology for heavy-duty transport.