NON-PRECIOUS METAL CATALYSTS FOR PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS BY ION BEAM SYNTHESIS

ONE OF THE CHALLENGES FACING THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE (PEM) FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY INVOLVES THE REDUCTION OF COST, SPECIFICALLY THAT OF THE ELECTROCATALYST. THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR NON-NOBLE METAL CATALYSTS WHICH ARE LOWER IN COST AND EXHIBIT EQUIVALENT OR BETTER PERFORMANCE. PEM FUEL CELLS FOR TRANSPORTATION POWER SOURCES HAVE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS IF THEY HAVE A CAPABILITY TO OPERATE EFFICIENTLY ON FUELS DERIVED FROM METHANOL. THIS REQUIRES THAT THE ANODES HAVE A TOLERANCE TO IMPURITIES WITHOUT POISONING THE CATALYST. IN PREVIOUS WORK CARBON MATERIALS WHICH WERE SURFACE ACTIVATED WITH NITROGEN WERE FOUND TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT CATALYTIC ACTIVITY FOR PHOSPHORIC ACID CATHODES. FURTHERMORE, TRANSITION METALS WERE DEPOSITED ON CARBON SUPPORTS AS WELL. THE PROCEDURE WAS BASED ON ION IMPLANTATION. THIS PHASE I PROJECT WILL PREPARE BOTH ANODE AND CATHODE CATALYSTS, EVALUATE THEM IN PEM CELLS FOR THEIR CATALYTIC ACTIVITY AND THEIR TOLERANCE TO CONTAMINATION CONTAINED IN METHANOL AND METHANOL REFORMATE, AND COMPARE THEM TO PLATINUM CATALYSTS. HIGHER CATHODE CATALYTIC ACTIVITY WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE USE OF AN ELECTRON CYCLOTRON RESONANCE ION BEAM SOURCE TO CREATE HIGHER CHARGE STATE IONS TO INCREASE THE REACTION RATE IN PREPARING THE CATALYST SURFACE. ANODE CATALYSTS WILL BE PREPARED BY NOVEL AND PROPRIETARY METHODS TO CATALYZE CARBON SUPPORTS WITH TRANSITION METALS.