Showcasing Innovation in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology for Aviation
The NIMPHEA project was proudly presented at the Vienna Aviation Days 2025, a high-level event organised by the ExFan project, bringing together major European research initiatives to explore the future of aviation propulsion systems.
At the event, the NIMPHEA coordinator presented a poster (see here: Poster_Nimphea_A0_OK) detailing the project’s cutting-edge work on the development of High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells tailored for aviation applications.
Poster Highlights
The poster highlights NIMPHEA’s focus on design, manufacturing, testing, and environmental assessment of next-generation High Temperature Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs), especially its key innovations in:
- Electrode Development and characterization: Incorporation of corrosion-resistant carbon supports and mono-disperse platinum nanoparticles for improved catalyst performance.
- Durability & Efficiency: Integration of advanced materials to build effective and long-lasting MEAs under demanding aeronautical conditions.
- Manufacturing MEA: from lab scale surface (1.8 cm2) to representative MEA (160-180 cm2)
- Testing Capabilities: Use of a dedicated HT-PEM test rig to replicate real-world aviation scenarios.
- Life Cycle & Cost Assessments (LCA/LCC): Evaluation of environmental and economic performance from the MEA to the full propulsion system level.
A clear timeline guides the project from early component selection (2023) to full-scale MEA fabrication and testing by the end of 2026.
-
Vienna Aviation Days 2025
-
Vienna Aviation Days 2025
-
NIMPHEA coordinator presenting
-
Vienna Aviation Days speakers
-
Vienna Aviation Days speakers
-
NIMPHEA technical leader
