Mission
Developing a new generation of high-temperature electrode-membrane assemblies (MEAs) for hydrogen fuel cells applied to aviation, addressing one of the main challenges of decarbonizing the sector: thermal management and extreme operating conditions. The project aims to optimize key components—catalyst, membrane, and gas diffusion layer—and validate the technology under representative conditions, contributing to climate neutrality.
Vision
Driving the transition to sustainable aviation through innovative hydrogen-based solutions, overcoming current temperature limitations that hinder the adoption of fuel cells. NIMPHEA aims to position high-temperature MEA technology as a cornerstone for zero-emission propulsion systems, consolidating European leadership in clean technologies for air mobility.
Fuel cell (FC) systems based on H2 They are a promising solution for propelling aircraft without emitting CO22 or NOx, and therefore have the potential to significantly reduce aviation emissions and pave the way towards climate neutrality. Integrated into aircraft, fuel cells can provide propulsion and non-propulsion power without polluting emissions, with reduced noise emissions and attractive energy efficiency.
Low-temperature proton-exchange membrane (LT-PEM) technology (including the membrane-electrode assembly – MEA), which originated in the automotive industry, is of great interest to aviation, but some thermal management issues need to be resolved. Operating below 100 °C, they offer attractive energy density, but are incompatible with the aircraft environment due to poor heat dissipation. Furthermore, current high-temperature fuel cells, which operate at around 160 °C, do not deliver the expected performance for aviation, despite their good heat dissipation. Therefore, the development of a next-generation MEA, operating at temperatures above 120 °C and with performance equivalent to the current LT-PEM MEA, is key to unlocking fuel cell applications in aviation.
NIMPHEA aims to develop, from the existing system and/or by optimizing its components (catalyst, membrane, and gas diffusion layer), a next-generation HT MEA compatible with the environment and aircraft requirements, considering a system size of 1.5 MW and contributing to higher-level objectives: a p-value of 1.25 W/cm² at a nominal operating temperature between 160 °C and 200 °C. The assembly process and the scale-up of the MEA component synthesis will be evaluated, identifying process parameters and improving them through an iterative process with laboratory-scale MEA testing. This disruptive MEA technology will ultimately be validated in a representative-scale prototype (165–180 cm²) incorporated into a single cell. Simultaneously, environmental and life-cycle cost analyses, eco-efficiency assessments, and intrinsic risk analyses will be performed to validate the MEA development. Finally, a TRL assessment will be performed to validate TRL4.
