METAL CARBIDE NANOCLUSTERS FOR POLYMER ELECTROLYTE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS

POLYMER ELECTROYTE MEMBRANE (PEM) FUEL CELLS ARE PROMISING CANDIDATES FOR LOCALIZED POWER GENERATION AND TRANSPORTATION APPLICATIONS BECAUSE OF SIMPLICITY OF DESIGN, LOW WEIGHT, AND LOW TEMPERATURE OPERATION. ALTHOUGH HYDROGEN BASED PEM FUEL CELLS ARE CONSIDERABLY MORE ADVANCED, DIRECT METHANOL PEM FUEL CELLS HAVE BETTER LONG TERM COMMERCIALIZATION POTENTIAL BECAUSE OF THEIR HIGH ENERGY DENSITIES AND EASE OF STORING METHANOL, A LIQUID FUEL. DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING OF METHANOL FUELS COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR GASOLINE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE PROMISE OF DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELLS IS UNREALIZED BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF STABLE, HIGH PERFORMANCE, LOW COST ELECTROCATALYTIC MATERIALS FOR METHANOL OXIDATION. ONLY VERY HIGHLY LOADED (AND THEREFORE VERY EXPENSIVE) PLATINUM/RUTHENIUM ELECTROCATALYSTS HAVE SHOWN HIGH AND SUSTAINED ACTIVITY FOR METHANOL OXIDATION UNDER FUEL CELL CONDITIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL PREPARE AND EVALUATE A RECENTLY DISCOVERED NEW CLASS OF MATERIALS AS ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR METHANOL OXIDATION IN A DIRECT METHANOL PEM FUEL CELL. THESE NEWLY DEVELOPED MATERIALS ARE MOLECULAR METAL CARBIDE CLUSTERS THAT MAY EXHIBIT UNIQUE CATALYTIC AND ELECTROCATALYTIC PROPERTIES. IN PHASE I A SERIES OF METAL CARBIDE CLUSTER COMPOSITIONS WILL BE PREPARED AND EVALUATED FOR THEIR ACTIVITY AS METHANOL OXIDATION ELECTROCATALYSTS. PHASE II RESEARCH WILL BE DIRECTED TOWARDS OPTIMIZATION OF ELECTRODE COMPOSITION, CATALYST LOADING, AND CELL DESIGNS USING THESE MATERIALS FOR DIRECT METHANOL PEM FUEL CELL POWER SOURCES.