High-Barrier and Resistant Multilayer Polymer Structures for Hydrogen Infrastructures – BYRON

New innovative and advanced materials are needed to develop robust, safe and cost-effective infrastructures for hydrogen distribution or storage. BYRON will focus on the fabrication of multilayered structures composed of two semi-crystalline polymers that can serve as innovative materials for polymer liners (or membranes) in high-pressure gaseous systems (tubes or type IV/type V pressure vessel). The use of an innovative layer-multiplying coextrusion process, specially designed for annular geometries like tubes, will allow the creation of a high number of alternating thin layers. The impact of this nanolayering on the crystalline structure will be characterized and correlated with hydrogen permeability and mechanical properties. The behavior of the multi-nanolayered structures will be investigated in conditions close to the actual working conditions of the hydrogen storage tank (effect of hydrogen exposure and high-pressures), using specific permeation equipment and mechanical tests. In particular, failure modes and sensitivity to blistering will be thoroughly studied. Finally, a numerical diffusion model will be developed in order to assess the impact of the geometrical parameters on the permeation and used as a predictive tool for guiding the development of optimized multilayered architectures.