Carbon Monoxide Tolerant Anodes for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells

41339 November 21, 1996 EIC Laboratories, Inc. Efficient, quiet and pollution free operation makes proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells highly attractive for distributed power and cogeneration systems in the 25 to 250 kW electrical power output range. These systems will use natural gas as the primary fuel which will be reformer converted to a hydrogen-rich gas mixture. However, carbon monoxide, a highly potent poison for conventional platinum anode catalysts, cannot be removed completely from such gas streams. To solve this problem, this project will develop new, carbon monoxide tolerant anode catalysts based on multi-functional metal alloys. The alloys will be fabricated into highly efficient, PEM units by concentrating the catalyst in a thin region at the electrode-ionomer interface. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new catalyst and electrode structure should lead to the construction of low cost, high performance PEM fuel cells which can operate directly on reformer gas without the need for cumbersome impurity removal procedures. Commercial applications include stationary and portable power sources, i.e., distributed power generation, cogeneration units, uninterruptible back up power, and electric vehicles.