PhD-position in electrode/catalyst development for PFAS-free fuel cells (m/f/d)

PhD-position in electrode/catalyst development for PFAS-free fuel cells (m/f/d) Parttime position (80 %), Startdate: At the earliest possible date PFAS ('forever chemicals') are valued across countless industries for their heat resistance and remarkable stability. They are also stateoftheart in protonconducting membranes and electrodes for fuel cells, a technology currently gaining serious traction in heavyduty trucking. But that same stability that makes PFAS attractive for different applications makes them persistent in the environment: they've been detected in soil, water, air, and even human and animal tissue, and have been linked to health concerns. Thus, the fuel cell industry increasingly needs viable, PFAS-free alternatives. This is precisely the challenge we are tackling in the CORAL-HC project. Promising hydrocarbonbased ionomers have recently emerged as candidates that can match PFAS performance. However, the catalysts and electrode architectures that work so well with PFAS materials don't simply transfer to this new material class. Fundamental questions about how catalyst, carbon support, and hydrocarbon ionomer interact

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