General Energy Research Department (ENE).
Research at PSI comprises all aspects of human energy use, with the ultimate goal of promoting development towards a sustainable energy supply system. Technologies are being advanced for the utilization of renewable energy sources, low-loss energy storage, efficient conversion, and low emission energy use. Experimental and model-based assessment of these emissions forms the basis of a comprehensive assessment of economic, ecological and environmental consequences, for both present and future energy supply systems.Department Head: Prof. Dr. Alexander Wokaun
Current Scientific Highlight
Radiation grafted membranes developed at PSI outlast state-of-the art commercial membranes in the fuel cell
Components for the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) are required to show high performance and durability under application relevant conditions. Furthermore, for commercial viability the materials and processes for component fabrication need to be of los cost. The polymer electrolyte membrane developed at PSI on the basis of the radiation grafting technique has the potential of being produced in cost-effective manner. In recent years, we have collaborated with the Belenos Clean Power to further develop the membrane to commercial competitiveness. We managed, by careful analysis and optimization of the synthesis conditions, to close the performance gap to commercial membranes (Nafion). The durability of the PSI membranes was evaluated in a dynamic (accelerated) test to simulate an automotive cycle. Our membrane showed a durability much superior to that of the unreinforced commercial Nafion 212 membrane. It even outlasted the reinforced and chemically stabilized Nafion XL-100 membrane, a state-of-the-art material for challenging automotive applications. Beyond fuel cells, the radiation grafting technology can be adapted to design polymer electrolyte materials for other electrochemical applications of current and future interest, such as water electrolyzers, redox flow batteries and next-generation lithium batteries.
Presentation slides
Current news from ENE
14. April 2013
Memory effect now also found in lithium-ion batteries
Media Releases Energy and EnvironmentLithium-ion batteries are high performance energy storage devices used in many commercial electronic appliances. Certainly, they can store a large amount of energy in a relatively small volume. They have also previously been widely believed to exhibit no memory effect. That’s how experts call a deviation in the working voltage of the battery, caused by incomplete charging or discharging, that can lead to only part of the stored energy being available and an inability to determine the charge level of the battery reliably. Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, together with colleagues from the Toyota Research Laboratories in Japan have now however discovered that a widely-used type of lithium-ion battery has a memory effect. This discovery is of particularly high relevance for advances towards using lithium-ion batteries in the electric vehicle market. The work was published today in the scientific journal Nature Materials.