Ceramic micro-PEM fuel cell systems for self-sufficient supply of miniaturized systems below one watt (eMikro)

The results presented were created in the publicly funded project "eMikro" within a consortium consisting of the partners balticFuelCells GmbH, VIA Electronic GmbH, Prignitz Mikrosystemtechnik GmbH, Fraunhofer IKTS and Fraunhofer IFAM and represents the current state of research on ceramic micro energy systems after 3 years of development. In the field of energy storage, new miniaturized metal hydride storage devices have been developed and optimized in terms of energy density and cycle stability. In the field of ceramic multilayer-based low-temperature fuel cells, a 4-cell stack was developed that works with an output of 150 mW/cm2 and a stack voltage of 2 volts. A novelty is the development of passive microvalves in LTCC, which do not require additional energy to supply the system with hydrogen and allow the integrated tank to be reloaded. The first characterizations of the individual components as well as the overall system are presented.