Project Partners
Mittweida University is a university of applied sciences in Central Saxony with a strong focus on research and transfer. Founded in 1867 as a technical centre, the state university has more than 7.000 students in five faculties and four research focuses. The transfer of knowledge and technology plays an essential role at Mittweida University, especially through the ambition to establish national and international collaborations and, at the same time, to assume responsibility for regional development.
A transfer strategy was established, which defines four strategic fields of action in knowledge and technology transfer:
- Transfer via cooperations (in particular R&D projects, contract research, transfer projects),
- Transfer via minds (in particular cooperative PhD examination procedures, endowed professorships),
- Transfer via spin-offs and property rights,
- Transfer via communication (in particular scientific events and publications).
Fraunhofer IFAM Dresden is involved in fundamental and applied research to develop new sintered and composite materials, as well as cellular metallic materials manufactured with innovative technologies derived from powder metallurgy. The scope of our services includes the industrial implementation of the results we obtain, up to the manufacture of prototype components. Substantial experience with technology and material structures makes it possible for us to design cellular metallic and composite materials, in which combinations of properties are tailored to individual applications.
The following equipment is available and of outstanding relevance for this project:
- Suspension development and rheological characterization
- State of the art sinter technology including spark plasma sintering, microwave sintering and molding techniques
- Methods for mechanical material characterization carried out in an accredited testing laboratory according to DIN/ ISO standards.
- Methods for Liquid Phase Deposition (LPD) such as dip- and spray-coating
- Methods for physical and chemical surface characterization: XRD, SEM, BET, IR-spectroscopy, thermal analysis, cross cutting tests
LEANCAT s.r.o. (LC) www.lean-cat.com is a technology start-up and in its short history it deals with the applied and industrial development of low Pt content catalysts and proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) components. LeanCat's name is therefore derived from the words Lean and Catalysts. LEANCAT s.r.o. (Ltd) was founded in 2016. The co-owner and investor is the Large company - JABLOTRON Group a.s. with 600 employees and 100 million EUR turnover rate. The LEANCAT is cooperating with The Charles University in the field of electrocatalyst technology transfer.
LC designs and make equipment for the development of hydrogen technology. LC offers a wide portfolio of test stations for PEM and high-temperature cells. Standard configurations cover power ranges from 100 W to 20 kW and offers a variety of customization options based on the requests of customers.
LEANCAT s.r.o. has become the most promising entity in the Czech Republic in the field of hydrogen technology business based on knowledge, which is world class. LC is continuously growing and expected turnover in 2022 is about 2 million EUR.
Prof. Karel Bouzek is a head of Department of Inorganic Technology and vice-dean of the Faculty of Chemical Technology. He has advanced knowledge and experience in technical electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering with a focus on hydrogen technologies (fuel cells and water electrolysis) and water treatment, including mathematical modelling. He is a member of numerous scientific organizations and Editorial Boards. Assoc. Prof. Tomas Bystron at the Department of Inorganic Technology is an expert in electroanalytical and electrochemical characterisation techniques and skilled in photoelectron and absorption spectroscopy. In his research, he focuses mainly on PEM systems for energy conversion and electrosynthesis. In particular, he is interested in development and degradation of electrode catalysts, Ti porous transport layers and other cell components such as polymer electrolyte. Dr. Martin Prokop has expertise in fuel cell field with special focus on PEM water electrolysis and fuel cell technology. He is performing all stages of single cell fabrication process, including membrane activation and treatment, standard catalyst layer deposition, MEA fabrication and characterisation. Within his scope is also development of testing stations, characterisation protocols and mathematical modelling of electrochemical systems.
UPT (Politechnica University Timisoara) is a university of advanced research and education, one of the traditional Romanian schools, which is recognized nationally and internationally. The department of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (IMF) has an extensive experience in processing and characterisation of conventional and advanced materials, with special focus on functional coatings, mechanical testing, tribological characteristics and failure analysis. The Laboratory for Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Electrochemical Engineering (LECEE) - has long term experience in corrosion evaluation and testing of different materials using specific electrochemical methods. Research interests also include the study of hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction and their catalytic enhancement. The LECEE has vast experience in developing, testing and characterization of different catalytic electrode materials for hydrogen, oxygen and chlorine evolution reactions. The designed electrode materials include thermal sprayed skeleton - nickel and copper electrodes, carbon nanofibers modified by pulse deposition of platinum nanoparticles and platinum-cobalt alloy, tested for hydrogen evolution reaction and also various oxide films for oxygen and chlorine evolution reaction. The possibility to intensify the hydrogen evolution reaction by using proton carriers as catalysts in the solution, has been also systematically studied.