Magazine

As a versatile energy carrier, hydrogen will play a key role in the long-term success of the energy transition and in climate protection. In addition to climate policy aspects, hydrogen and fuel cell technologies pave the way for many sustainable jobs, new value chains, and a global market worth billions. With this in mind, Fraunhofer IFAM is developing innovative materials, manufacturing technologies, and technical components so that technical systems for the production, distribution, storage, and use of hydrogen can become more efficient, robust, safe, and economical.

Electrification is the key to CO2 reduction in the mobility sector. The technologies required will be as diverse as the way people move around the world. This is because the powertrain requirements for cars, trucks, trains, ships or aircraft vary. Fraunhofer IFAM has developed new materials and manufacturing processes for the construction of hydrogen tanks, fuel cells, batteries, and e-motors in order to store the drive energy — electricity, hydrogen or synthetic fuel — and then convert it into mobility with different drive variants.

CONDUCTIVE COMPOSITES FOR SEAWATER DESALINATION | Seawater is plentiful, but drinking water is scarce. Desalination plants can convert seawater, but these plants use tubes made of special steel or titanium. Thermally conductive plastic composites can alternatively be used for heat exchangers in seawater desalination plants to replace expensive and hard-to-find titanium alloys.

FUNCTION INTEGRATION IN FIBER-REINFORCED PLASTICS | At Fraunhofer IFAM, functional printing technologies can be used to functionalize various aircraft parts and components. Printed conductors and sensors for temperature, strain or impact measurement as well as heating structures can be incorporated into fiber-reinforced plastics for the aerospace sector.

BATTERY MANUFACTURING USING 2D AND 3D PRINTING PROCESSES | Manufacturing technology for batteries of the future: With the aid of the screen printing process, Fraunhofer IFAM offers alternatives for battery production. New manufacturing concepts allow higher active material loads and greater freedom in electrode design. Completely printed batteries help on the one hand to break free from the limitations of current manufacturing technology and on the other hand to reduce the use of solvents and subsequent drying processes. Fraunhofer IFAM combines battery expertise with profound know-how in additive manufacturing.

FAST, SAFE AND COST-EFFECTIVE: ADHESIVE BONDING AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR ASSEMBLY AND REPAIR OF OFFSHORE APPLICATION | The use of adhesives in the maritime sector offers a promising alternative to other joining methods. Disadvantages associated with joining technologies such as screwing or welding are eliminated and possibilities for long-term stable adhesive bonds of up to 25 years are created. Fraunhofer IFAM is continuously further developing the topic of adhesive bonding in the maritime field within the framework of publicly funded projects and is developing individual processes for its industrial customers.

TECHNO-ECONOMIC STUDIES ON VEHICLE-TO-HOME AND VEHICLE-TO-GRID SCENARIOS | Electric vehicles as "power plants on wheels": Electric vehicles can be used as quasi-stationary energy storage devices in the home or in the public power grid. Fraunhofer IFAM has many years of experience in the field of bidirectional charging and has developed a simulation tool for this purpose, which can be used to carry out techno-economic studies on vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid scenarios.

The new FOREST project of Fraunhofer IFAM and partners will contribute to the decarbonisation of the transport sector by developing and implementing innovative biobased polymers, additives, and recycled carbonfibers. The goal will be achieved by combining three key-drivers: reduce, recovery, reshape.

In the project "UltraHybRo", the experts of the area "Electric Drive Technology" at Fraunhofer Ifam are developing a joining process for the manufacture of squirrel cage rotors for induction machines together with the project partner mth Ultraschalltechnologie GmbH & Co. KG. They are pursuing a novel approach to increase the efficiency of induction machines over a wide operating range.

CALCULATION OF DIFFUSION COEFFICIENTS OF BIO-BASED PLASTICS FOR PACKAGING | From plastics such as packaging in contact with food, laminates, adhesives or seals, substances such as additives can migrate into the media surrounding them. In the process, their concentration in the plastic decreases and accumulates in their surroundings such as food or interfaces. In the project "DiBioK", Fraunhofer IFAM is working with project partners to determine substance constants for calculating diffusion coefficients of selected bio-based polymers. From this, a model is to be derived which will allow prediction of this material-specific property.