SBIR Phase I: New Catalyst Discovery by Novel Method

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will address the high cost of fuel cell catalysts by developing a novel method for the discovery of high activity catalyst and using the method to explore catalytic systems for methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction that have not already been extensively studied. The method allows for massive compositional arrays to be evaluated in-situ and will greatly accelerate the discovery and optimization of new catalysts. The catalysts discovered under this Phase I project could be an enabling technology that allows the introduction of high capacity, instantly rechargeable fuel cells into the consumer market, potentially displacing Li-ion cells that currently dominate the rechargeable battery market for portable electronics.