Dr. K. Andreas Friedrich, born 13.12.1962, is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Stuttgart and the Head of the Fuel Cell Research group at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Stuttgart (Germany).
Dr. Friedrich graduated in physics from the University in Frankfurt in 1987. He received his PhD from the Free University of Berlin for a work on “Second Harmonic Generation of Electrode Surfaces” under the supervision of Prof. G. Ertl. After a post-doctoral stay in the U.S.A. and positions at Forschungszentrum Juelich, Technical University of Munich and ZSW in Ulm, he assumed the present position
His research areas include the development of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells, as well as Solid Oxide Fuel Cells. The primary goals comprise enhanced power density, long lifetime, reduction of materials and manufacturing costs, identification of degradation mechanisms in stacks and their prevention, advanced stack design, highly integrated system components and optimised integration of fuel cells into energy supply systems. His group (about 50 persons) has pioneered the application of fuel cells in aircraft.
Before engaging in fuel cell research his scientific priorities were the structure of electrode/electrolyte interface and the relationship between microscopic structure and electro-catalytic activity.
Dr. Friedrich has authored and co-authored more than 80 papers in the described research fields. A fuel-cell award was commended to DLR and Airbus for the recent research and development efforts.