Hydrogen is believed to play a key role in the energy transition. Because of its high energy density, hydrogen gas is an attractive energy carrying medium for renewable energy storage. Hydrogen can be produced sustainably from water via water electrolysis. In water electrolysis, (green) electricity is used to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen (power-to-gas). In the reverse reaction, hydrogen and oxygen react to form water again and electricity is produced (gas-to-power). During his PhD, Thijs will work on water electrolysis as part of the PHOENIX-Alkalina project. The aim of the PHOENIX-Alkalina project is to develop modular and scalable hydrogen production systems based on alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) technology. Thijs’s research will focus on the development and characterization of separators for AWE and will include a fundamental study on separator – electrode interactions. 

In August 2019, Thijs Jansman obtained his BSc Applied Science at Fontys in Eindhoven. He performed his graduation project at the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) in Eindhoven, where he worked on renewable energy driven capture and valorization of carbon dioxide, whilst also performing gas separation experiments with the use of zeolites. Before Thijs started his MSc Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at TU/e, he worked for 10 months at the Polymer Technology Group Eindhoven (PTG/e) in Eindhoven as a chemical analyst. At PTG/e, he worked on expandable polypropylene and the development of thin film liquid crystal polarizing filters. Then, in February 2024, Thijs received his MSc Chemical Engineering and Chemistry in the Molecular Systems and Materials Chemistry (MSMC) track. During his master thesis, he worked on the layer-by-layer modification of electrospun bipolar membranes in the Membrane Materials and Processes (MMP) group. Thijs finalized his MSc program with an industrial internship at Bosch, where he studied corrosion in the bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer of PEM water electrolyzer cells. Since March 2024, Thijs is employed as a PhD candidate in the Membrane Materials and Processes research group.