Long Life, High Power Density Fuel Cell for UAV Employing Advanced Proton Exchange Membrane

"Quiet, electrically propelled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) powered by advanced PEM fuel cells can play an increasingly important role as platforms of choice for new reconnaissance and search and destroy missions against terrorist threats. To meet DoDneeds, significant increases in PEM fuel cell energy density/energy efficiency from the current state-of-the-art mass specific power (MSP) of 1 kW/kg to 5 kW/kg are required over the next five years. Foster-Miller, with support from H Power, Inc., aleading fuel cell manufacturer and BP Amoco, a major polymer producer, proposes to develop new high energy density/high energy efficiency PEMs that will overcome problems with current perfluorinated PEMs and enable affordable fuel cells of >5kW/kg MSP.During Phase I Foster-Miller demonstrated the feasibility of a new high energy density ion conducting polymer (ICP) that can be chemically stabilized to withstand high temperature, high efficiency fuel cell operating conditions. New affordable highperformance PEMs are possible when this ICP is combined with Foster-Miller's novel PBO membrane support. The Phase II program will optimize these ICP/PBO materials to demonstrate PEMs and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), meeting DoD goals. This willlead to rapid commercialization by H Power and BP in Phase III. (P-002090)"