We are proud to share our recent participation in the FDFC 2026 conference, held in Montpellier (France) from 5-7 May 2026, the largest edition of this conference series, gathering over 300 experts in fuel cells and electrolysers.
During the event, CIEMAT and CEA jointly presented results from the DECODE project through an oral presentation entitled “Analysis of ionomer properties in cathodic catalyst layers prepared by electrospray” (L. Duque, S. Merino, G. de Diego, C. Jarava-Barrera, A.M. Chaparro*, A. Fabulet, C. Marty, P. Toudret, J. Pauchet).
This work highlights how electrospray coating can produce catalyst layers for PEM fuel cells with distinct properties compared to conventional methods (spray and blade coating). These tailored layers are key to testing and validating the modelling workflows developed within DECODE, particularly regarding the local reaction environment and ionomer structure in electrodes.
FDFC 2026 covered the full innovation chain, from materials development and characterization to device integration, system operation, and recycling strategies, fully aligned with DECODE’s ambition to accelerate hydrogen technologies.
It was also great to see the strong presence of the DECODE community at the conference, including partners from PSI Paul Scherrer Institut, Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), CNRS, Université de Strasbourg and hte GmbH.
