With the enforcement of EU regulations 2024/573, the production and usage of Tetrafluoroethane (R134a) has been strongly regulated. This gas is a key component in the gas mixture of Resistive Plate Chambers, a detector technology widely employed in high-energy physics. A potential, more environment-friendly, substitute for this gas is Tetrafluoropropene (HFO) and several promising HFO-based mixtures have been proposed. The long-term behavior (aging) of RPCs operated with these mixtures is typically studied by exposing several detectors flushed with an HFO-based gas mixture to a radioactive source and by studying the stability of the absorbed current and RPC performance over time Experimental tests are crucial to spot and quantify aging effects, but can rarely provide an explanation for their origin. This requires a deeper understanding of the microscopical modifications of the materials induced by the HFO decomposition when exposed to irradiation. This project aims at breaking down the aging phenomena of several RPC components in their basic building blocks by comparing the chemical (EDX spectroscopy and SEM analyses) and electrical (resistivity) features of new and aged samples of RPC materials. The results of these analyses will be used to formulate a model to describe the observed effects and develop a simulation code, allowing for a systematic test of the aging properties of different HFO-based gas mixtures. I will carry out my research at the High Voltage Laboratory of the ETH Zurich University and at the Physics Department at the University of Torino, with the guidance of Prof. Christian Franck and Martino Gagliardi, leading experts on eco-friendly high-voltage gaseous insulation and RPC detectors respectively, while the chemical analyses will be performed at the CERN chemical laboratory. On a personal level, this project will strengthen my academic profile significantly and provide an ideal training ground for my project- and time-management skills.