In the fuel cell market, many companies are competing, and it is a “winner take all” environment. You need to be first to market and do it right. If not, there could be repercussions for your brand. Material selection will have a strong influence on first-time right by improving lifetime, efficiency and safety.
Fuel cell systems need to use materials that are pure. If not, ion leaching and hydrolytic and heat aging can occur. These two failure modes and the risks and consequences can hurt your brand image. Impure materials increase the risk of ion leaching, and higher water absorbing materials show more ion leaching, which you do not want. Also, impure materials increase the risk of hydrolytic and heat ageing— PA9T and PA66 are not good performers.
Fuel cell systems need to use materials that are pure. If not, ion leaching and hydrolytic and heat aging can occur. These two failure modes and the risks and consequences can hurt your brand image. Impure materials increase the risk of ion leaching, and higher water absorbing materials show more ion leaching, which you do not want. Also, impure materials increase the risk of hydrolytic and heat ageing— PA9T and PA66 are not good performers.
Cause & effect of ion leaching and hydrolytic and heating aging
Example of pin-hole in the membrane
DSM’s tailor-made PPS is the purest material solution on the market today and offers the best in performance in fuel cells available today.
Today, Xytron PPS is trusted by industry-leading manufacturers and Tier1s worldwide. Xytron PPS offers the lowest ion leaching and best strength and toughness retention in hydrolytic environment to ensure fuel cell systems are efficient, have a long life, and are safe and reliable. At DSM, we are constantly evolving our material solutions to meet the demand for fuel cell applications.
Low ion leaching equates to a longer service life
Xytron™ is a high performance plastic compound of DSM Engineering Plastics, which is based on PPS (polyphenylene sulphide).
Xytron™ offers extremely good chemical resistance, dimensional stability, intrinsic flame retardancy and high stiffness.
Because of its outstanding properties, Xytron™ contributes to an excellent performance in many different applications.
Xytron™ is a high performance plastic compound of DSM Engineering Plastics, which is based on PPS (polyphenylene sulphide).
Xytron™ offers extremely good chemical resistance, dimensional stability, intrinsic flame retardancy and high stiffness.
Because of its outstanding properties, Xytron™ contributes to an excellent performance in many different applications.
Direct and easy access to our broad portfolio of high-performance plastics: request a quote or order a sample. You can also simply ask our fuel cells experts.
Combining the best of the electric vehicle and internal combustion engine worlds, proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) offer emissions-free driving of an EV with the range and convenience of a traditional ICE. Manufacturers must ensure the PEMFC is reliable and doesn’t degrade in hot water or a mild acid environment to meet and exceed the long service life of commercial transport vehicles.
Industrial leaders are making massive investments in promoting fuel cell systems –primarily in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), which offer low working temperatures, short start up times, the ability to run on ambient air, and easier electrolyte management. This is crucial for transport vehicles, which are built to travel long distances while maintaining a long service life. The first OEMs to launch PEMFCs optimized for the needs of transport vehicles will achieve a substantial competitive advantage.
Hydrogen will first play a major role in the heavier and long-range transportation segments—buses, vans, and medium to large cars (in fleets and taxis) because they are heavier vehicles and have longer range distances driven. DSM has been on the forefront of hydrogen fuel cell technology—we have already done extensive research on and development of hydrogen storage tanks and fuel cell components.
Most often when we think of electric vehicles, we think of them being powered by lithium ion batteries, but if it’s the most environmental friendly solution? Maybe not. As an alternative, automobiles can be powered by fuel cell technology.
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