Ionomer Dispersion Impact on Advanced Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Performance and Durability

The ionomer dispersion technology invented at LANL has demonstrated great potential to significantly improve the lifetime of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells via accelerated stress tests. However, more validation and improvements are needed to make this technology commercially viable for PEM fuel cell-based hydrogen vehicles. The overall project is to further improve and validate this ionomer dispersion technology under more practical fuel cell conditions. The ionomer dispersion technology will be combined with dimension-stabilized membrane (DSM) technology to create more durable membranes and membrane and electrode assemblies for PEM fuel cell and electrolyzers. Low equivalent weight (EW) ionomers will be dispersed using selected non-aqueous solvents. The ionomer dispersions will be incorporated into porous matrix to make DSMs and mixed with the catalysts to make electrodes. The resulted membrane and electrode assemblies will be evaluated for both fuel cells and electrolyzers under more practical operating conditions. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The successful completion of this project will improve the durability and performance of PEM fuel cells, significantly reducing the cost of hydrogen vehicles. This will lead to a widespread deployment of hydrogen vehicles, which will relieve the nation heavy dependence on imported oil and reduce air pollutants.