Fuel Cells-Coregroups

Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Technology - "Made in Austria"

At the business area “Functional Materials” extended expertise and know-how in the development of new materials and processes for Hydrogen storage and fuel cells is available. Due to the interdisciplinary collaboration between different business units, special know-how and equipment for the development of SOFC components, innovative materials processing, hydrogen storage systems and alternative micro-power generators are available at AIT.

AIT is developing a hydrogen storage system based on Microspheres. A novel extraction process reduces the disadvantages of microspheres enormous. The advantages of hydrogen storage inside microspheres are:

• High energy density low cost storage system
• Simplified hydrogen storage
• Hydrogen storage capacities of about 10 wt.-%
  (similar to cryogenic and high pressure storage)
• Using storage material in the structural frame („free-form tank“)
• Long-time storage (>1 year)

Other than that mentioned AIT is developing and testing reversible hydrogen storage tanks based on carbon nanofibers and Metal Hydrides.

In this area AIT and his partners are developing new materials processes e.g. Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) for nano structuring of bulk materials, to increase the specific storage capacity while at the same time speeding up the discharge kinetic and reducing the discharge temperature.

AIT is partner of HyCentA and works together with industrial and scientific partners in different A3 projects on the development and testing of new tank components and systems for hydrogen storage.

The AIT business area “functional materials” has also special expertise in development and production of SOFC components including new material systems and coatings based on nano particles and nano dispersions.