STTR Phase I: Supramolecular Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project develop a new generation of proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology. The proposed project will investigate processing techniques for synthesizing polyphosphazine membranes, which are hydrogen bonded to form supramolecules. Such supramolecular interactions can be fully miscible or self organized polymeric backbones to form two or more directional protonically conducting nanoscale channels. This will offer improved proton conductivity while being more economical to manufacture over existing PEM technologies. The "Roadmap to a Hydrogen Economy - 2030" predicts that fuel cells to emerge between 2010-2020. Technology breakthroughs in PEMs and MEAs and their manufacturability are needed in order to make this timeline a reality. This will require low cost, reliable systems based on new PEM technologies. The proposed project, if successful, can have a significant impact on the fuel cell technology.