PhD student position in PEM electrode development

At PowerCell we are working hard at delivering powerful hydrogen powered fuel cells and systems to our customers around the world. The demand for our products is steadily increasing and we’re at the forefront of fuel cell development. We believe in our tech and we believe in our people’s ability to deliver the best solutions for hydrogen fuel cells on the market, today and tomorrow.

KTH

KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has grown to become one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key center of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers and faculty from around the world.

What PowerCell and KTH offer

- The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.

- A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to PowerCell’s Doctoral student salary agreement.

- A postgraduate education at a company that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.

- The main part of the experimental work time will take place at PowerCell’s development and production facility in Gothenburg.

- Doctoral courses take place at KTH and other suitable universities.

- Student supervision will be shared between KTH and PowerCell.

Eligibility

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

- Passed a degree at advanced level,

- Completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at advanced level, or

- in any other way acquired within or outside the country acquired essentially equivalent knowledge.

- Requirements for English equivalent to English B/6, read more here

Project description

PowerCell develops both fuel cell stacks and systems for various applications, where the continuous improvement of performance, efficiency and durability is crucial. The Membrane-Electrode-Assembly (MEA) is a core component of the Proton-Exchange-Membrane (PEM) fuel cell and contains - next to other subcomponents - a Catalyst-Coated-Membrane (CCM), made up of two electrodes (anode and cathode) and the electrolytic membrane. The durability of PEM fuel cells still is a challenge for its successful introduction into a mass market and during the last decades, extensive R&D around the durability of involved components like e.g. the catalyst or the membrane was conducted. In opposite to this, the contribution of the electrode structure (i.e., its morphology) to the performance losses over time was less good investigated and is thus poorly understood. Additionally, for certain applications an intermediate PEM operating temperature (100-120° C) is required, which adds new challenges regarding MEA performance and lifetime.

Today, various electrode and MEA manufacturing methods are used for the preparation of fuel cell MEAs: At a laboratory-scale stage, methods like spray coating or the well-established doctor blade coating are used for fast prototyping while at a high-throughput state, methods like slot die coating or micro gravure coating are state-of-the-art. Depending on the employed coating technique, the coated catalyst ink is subjected to a certain shear force characteristic, which triggers a rheological response of the ink and ultimately leads to influences on the structure of the resulting electrode. The effect of the different coating methods and physical parameter matrix to the initial performance are not well described today. Assessing the effect of the preparation method on the lifetime behaviour of the MEA is crucial and even more important at intermediate temperatures. This challenge requires an increased attention in both research and development.

Key tasks of this work shall be:

- Identification of raw materials and semi-finished products key characteristics for an improved durability along the MEA development and production path.

- Investigation of measures for a better control of electrode structural properties with specific attention towards the ionomer type and distribution in the electrodes and the GDL - electrode interaction.

- Description of the effect of different electrode preparation processes to the resulting structural properties and the depending in-Situ behaviour.

- Characterization of the shear force impact of the preparation method and the interaction of the ink components with each other by rheology.

- Support the work with the development of a computational model, which should allow to assess the interaction between the designed structural properties and the operation condition over the lifetime of a fuel cell stack.

- Description of design parameters for electrodes with improved lifetime and durability.

- Description of an improved CCM structure optimized for intermediate-temperature application.

Required Qualifications

- The applicant should have a Master of Science or Engineering degree in chemical engineering, engineering physics (engineering science), materials science, physical chemistry (physical science) or a related field.

- Self-driven, highly engaged, and motivated personality, with a strong problem-solving approach

- Practical experience of working in a laboratory

- Fluent in English, both oral and written

Meritorious Qualifications

- Knowledge regarding the behavior of dispersion fluids

- Knowledge of rheology and rheological characterization methods

- PEM fuel cell catalyst and stack knowledge and/or experimental experience

- Competence in modelling (e.g. Fluid Dynamics, Multi-Physics, …)

- Experience from an international and multi-language environment

- Swedish language skills