CIDETEC Surface Engineering is successfully leading the development of sustainable alternatives to platinum as part of the NICKEFFECT project

The consortium led by CIDETEC has completed a key research project that replaces platinum group metals with advanced nickel coatings in strategic sectors.

The European NICKEFFECT project, coordinated by CIDETEC Surface Engineering, has successfully concluded its work aimed at reducing Europe’s dependence on platinum group metals (PGMs), which are scarce, high-cost materials considered critical raw materials. The initiative has validated the viability of new nickel-based coating materials as high-performance alternatives in various sectors, such as renewable energy, electromobility and digital technologies.

During the latest General Assembly and Review Meeting with the European Commission, held in San Sebastián on 12 and 13 May, the consortium assessed the technological results achieved, which provide direct solutions to the European Union’s strategy to strengthen its technological sovereignty.

Innovation in coatings for the energy and digital transition

Advances in the design of these advanced nickel-based materials are opening up new opportunities in highly strategic industrial sectors. Specifically, the solutions developed have been successfully applied in key technologies:

• Energy production: Development of new cathodes that are entirely PGM-free (100% PGM-free) for water electrolysis, achieving at least a 50% reduction in the cost of the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA).
• Energy conversion: Demonstration of the industrial viability of a PEM fuel cell demonstrator operating with low to ultra-low Pt loads on the cathode, achieved through electrodeposition.
• Low-power data storage: Manufacture of a new-generation, Pt-free magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) device that matches the performance of benchmark systems.

The results of NICKEFFECT mark a milestone in research into sustainable materials. Although the project’s implementation phase has come to an end, the solutions and innovations developed lay a solid foundation that will continue to have a long-term impact, paving the way for future technological developments and new industrial partnerships within the European framework.