SBIR Phase I: High-Temperature Fuel Cell Membranes

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)Phase I project addresses the development of a proton- exchange membrane for use in elevated temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (ETPEMFC) (>100C) for automotive applications. In this work we propose to develop a membrane that can operate at temperatures approaching 150C. Specific program objectives include: (1) to demonstrate feasibility of fabricating a membrane for ETPEMFC use, (2) to evaluate select, important physical/chemical properties of the membrane, (3) to fabricate high performance Membrane-Electrode Assemblies (MEAs) for ETPEMFC use, and (4) to demonstrate performance of the MEA in single-cell ETPEMFC at temperatures up to 150C. The proposed research will consist of membrane synthesis, evaluation and fuel cell testing. The potential market for PEMFC, for transportation vehicles and utility applications (residential, power) is in the 100s of billions of dollars. The California (CA) legislature previously mandated that by 2004, 10% of large volume manufacturer's sales in CA must be Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs). Many other states, including Massachusetts, followed the lead taken by CA. The market value of residential fuel cells, by the year 2020, is expected to reach $40 billion according to estimates by the Small Scale Fuel Cell Commercialization Group, Oklahoma City. Retail prices for the residential systems (approx 7 kW) are expected to be $4,000 by the year 2003.