UNIRE has the ambition to undertake fundamental-level research on functional and sustainable materials to develop Anion Exchange Membranes (AEMs) with significantly improved conductivity and durability, and to design low-cost bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts able to strongly minimise ORR/OER (oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER)) overpotentials and provide long durability at the same time. The developed next-generation membranes, catalysts and electrodes are designed for the almost unexplored technology of AEM-URFC (unitised regenerative fuel cell), which combine the water electrolyser (WE) and the fuel cell (FC) functionalities in one device. Therefore, UNIRE proposes a systematic and basic research approach to develop AEMs, stable electrodes, and membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) that can withstand operation in both electrolytic and fuel cell modes. The expected result is to achieve round-trip efficiency and durability comparable to PEM-URFC technology while reducing the costs associated with the components used.

Names of the operational units involved in the implementation of the project:

• University of Calabria – UniCal
• University of Salento – UniSal
• CNR- Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies “Nicola Giordano” – ITAE

Thematic area

• PE5