Doctoral researcher looks into an X-ray microscope

Innovation

Hydrogen: Element of the future

24 March 2025 6 min read

On the grounds of Forschungszentrum Jülich, a German research institute, there are office buildings and laboratories as well as large test halls. In the background, the steady hum of various systems and turbines is audible. The busy streets and wide roads are reminiscent of a city where the pulse of science can be felt from the very first second. Research is being carried out here on topics that have the potential to completely transform our society and industry over the coming years. There is a particularly sharp focus on a sustainable energy sector that aims to make the future more livable.

Eva Jodat, Acting Department Head, and Christine Heume, Doctoral Researcher — Eva Jodat (on the left), Acting Department Head, and Christine Heume, Doctoral Researcher, from Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Two pioneers for tomorrow's energy are Eva Jodat (on the left) and Christine Heume. The two scientists at Jülich are researching an element of the future: hydrogen. They are convinced that this element is the solution for sustainable and oil-free industry, especially if it is produced using electricity from renewable energy sources. Their research focuses on the derisking of electrolyzers, which involves examining the aging processes of the energy converters required to produce hydrogen.

More information on hydrogen and hydrogen research at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany

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In order to examine the membrane electrode unit of an electrolyzer, it is cut up and placed in sample holders.
Christine Heume uses the Xradia 620 Versa to examine the membrane electrode assembly.
Scanning electron microscopy can be used to further investigate changes in the membrane structure.
In further examination steps, spectroscopy provides insights into chemical processes.

Increasing efficiency for a sustainable future

The key issue with the production of hydrogen is that electrolyzers lose efficiency over time and that makes the conversion of energy into hydrogen less viable. In their research, Eva Jodat and Christine Heume are getting to the bottom of these efficiency losses in electrolyzers in order to minimize them. Here, ZEISS X-ray microscopes, such as the Xradia 620 Versa, are deployed.

Using 3D imaging methods, the researchers can inspect non-destructively the heart of the electrolyzer, the membrane electrode assembly, and detect changes. They use computed tomography (CT) to take several X-ray images from different angles and use these to reconstruct a precise three-dimensional image of the complex structures and events within the membrane.

The structural changes can then be investigated further using scanning electron microscopy, e.g. with the ZEISS GeminiSEM. This is how the researchers gain important insights for improving these electrolyzers. They make their findings available to the entire research community through publications and also pass them on directly to cooperation partners from industry.

Photo: Jenö Gellinek
The Jülich research site is home to a gigantic research facility for a megawatt electrolyzer, which is operated jointly with Siemens Energy.
Photo: Jenö Gellinek
The large electrolyzer enables research on a scale relevant for industry.

The close integration of research and industry is a special feature of Forschungszentrum Jülich. This is reflected not only in the intensive exchange of knowledge between the stakeholders, but also in an impressive research megawatt electrolyzer, which is operated at the research site together with industrial partner Siemens Energy. Even Eva Jodat and Christine Heume are always impressed by the system, which is several meters high. The large electrolyzer enables them to conduct their research in hydrogen technology not only on a laboratory scale, but also on a scale relevant for industry.

This is because the test bed can be used to examine and optimize numerous parameters that are decisive for the costs and service life of electrolyzers. With the help of dozens of sensors, cameras and complex measurement technology at all levels, the aging of electrolysis cells can be studied here in order to better understand them. The findings from this flagship project will then be incorporated into future generations of electrolyzers: "With the research and continued development of water electrolysis on a megawatt scale, we are setting new standards worldwide in the cooperation between science and industry," says Eva Jodat.

The special thing about our research is that we not only work on a small scale in the laboratory, but also investigate how electrolyzers behave on a megawatt level. There are considerable differences between the observations on a laboratory scale and the actual processes in an industrial system.

Eva Jodat Acting Department Head, Forschungszentrum Jülich

Big Numbers

Hydrogen as the element of the future

38 million

metric tons of low-emission hydrogen could be produced per year in the future.¹
Around 10%

of the EU's energy needs are set to be covered by renewable hydrogen by 2050.²
By 2050

the cost of producing clean hydrogen is likely to fall significantly, according to McKinsey & Company.³
2.01 g

is how much one mole of hydrogen from two atoms weighs. It is the lightest chemical element.⁴
1874

was the year when Jules Verne's novel The Mysterious Island was published, in which hydrogen is described as the coal of the future.⁵

Graphic of electrolyzers with polymer electrolyte membrane — Electrolyzers with a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) separate water molecules at an anode with the aid of an electric current. This results in oxygen and H⁺ ions. The ions migrate through the membrane and react at the cathode to form hydrogen.

Hydrogen as a contribution to the energy transition

In the past, the scientists could analyze a structural change in the membrane. These findings can be incorporated directly into the redesign of electrolyzer components and thus improve hydrogen production. In doing so, they make an important contribution to the energy transition. If they can become more efficient and cost-effective, this type of energy converter could be installed in every industrial park or residential property in future. For example, green hydrogen can be produced using wind or solar energy, which can then be used in the production of steel or plastics.

In the private sphere, hydrogen is used in the mobility sector for trucks and cars or to run personal heating system, among other things. Households can also use the electricity from their solar systems to produce hydrogen for their private use. Thanks to innovative containers and the existing gas infrastructure, hydrogen can also be stored and converted into electricity as required. As no environmentally harmful by-products are produced during the conversion into energy, their increased use makes a significant contribution to the success of the energy transition.

The opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future motivates the two scientists in their research work. Both agree that society needs to find a way out of the oil-based, unsustainable energy industry. Their research makes a valuable contribution to this goal, and they are particularly proud of this. When you talk to them, it becomes immediately apparent that they are passionate about hydrogen research.

When we look to the future, it soon becomes clear that we must act. As a scientist, I strive to make the world a better place. That's why it feels good to be able to work on projects for a more sustainable energy industry and, in our case, to contribute to a redesign of electrolyzers.

Christine Heume Doctoral Researcher at Forschungszentrum Jülich

Hydrogen, which is produced with the help of renewable energies, makes it possible to reduce CO₂ emissions in the industrial, transport and private sectors, for example.

Hydrogen is thus set to become a mainstay of the energy transition. Highly versatile, it offers numerous application possibilities – from a replacement gasoline to electricity storage. It is the smallest and lightest of the chemical elements. However, hydrogen plays an important role in the transformation of the energy world. The substance with the formula H₂ is suitable as an alternative fuel for trucks, ships and airplanes. Hydrogen can replace crude oil and natural gas in the chemical and steel industries and act as an intermediate storage medium for renewable energies.
In order to establish hydrogen as an attractive energy source and storage medium, producing it needs to become more economical. However, electrolyzers are currently losing efficiency as they age. Forschungszentrum Jülich is investigating the causes and looking for solutions.

The researchers are focusing on three main areas of hydrogen research: first, the production of hydrogen. Because there are different ways to produce the "material of the future" and beacon of hope for the energy transition. The main aim is to make established processes for producing hydrogen, such as electrolysis, more cost-effective and sustainable. Second, in order to be available as an energy source at short notice, hydrogen needs to be stored safely and transported reliably. This can be done in underground storage facilities, for example in the existing natural gas grid or with the help of new technologies. Third, scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich are working on improving the efficiency, durability and conductivity of fuel cells.

Hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂) react in a fuel cell, producing water (H₂O) and electricity as a by-product.

The basic components of a hydrogen fuel cell are:

Anode: here, hydrogen is split into protons and electrons.

Electrolyte: only allows protons to pass through and prevents direct contact between hydrogen and oxygen.
Cathode: here, the protons react with oxygen to form water, while the electrons flow through an external circuit and supply electrical energy.

This technology is particularly relevant for emission-free energy generation in vehicles, stationary energy sources and portable applications.
With X-ray microscopes such as the ZEISS Xradia 620 Versa, aging processes inside electrolyzers can be examined using the CT method without destroying them. In addition, ZEISS scanning electron microscopes such as the GeminiSEM (SEM) offer important functions for research into aging processes, allowing details to be imaged even more clearly.

ZEISS is also helping to improve the efficiency and reliability of hydrogen technologies by investing in advanced measurement techniques and software for metrology, paving the way for a clean, sustainable energy future.