Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group has developed and achieved mass production of a material that can be used in fuel cells. The achievement fills a domestic gap and solves a key strategic material bottleneck, marking a major advance in China's technology, Science and Technology Daily reported on Monday.
The material, known as ultra-pure ferritic stainless steel TFC22-X, was delivered in bulk to a leading domestic fuel cell company, marking the domestic debut of critical strategic materials in the field of new energy. This breakthrough addresses a bottleneck faced by the fuel cell industry, the company announced on its official website.
The research team overcame a major obstacle by finding a way to control a specific element with great accuracy. The team also solved a problem related to the production of high-quality stainless steel.
Deformation systems and heating and cooling techniques were developed to enhance the control of toughness. This allowed for stable production of high-chromium ferritic stainless steel, resolving technical challenges related to heat treatment and the acid pickling of various products. The performance and surface quality of these products were consistently controlled and ensured.
China's fuel cell industry is still in the early exploration stage, and the materials for fuel cell stacks are among the most critical strategic materials, Science and Technology Daily reported.
The breakthrough represents China's latest effort to step up research and innovation to achieve technological self-reliance and make breakthroughs in overcoming "bottleneck" challenges, observers noted.
Research and development funding in China exceeded 3 trillion yuan ($419 billion) for the first time in 2022, up 10.1 percent year-on-year, according to a report issued by the National Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance in September.
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