Highly Conductive Hydrocarbon Membranes for Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers

Hydrogen can be used to decarbonize historically difficult to abate sectors such as heavy-duty trucking and other industrial applications. However, this requires improvements in hydrogen fuel cell technologies such as a higher durability to meet total the longer use case of industrial equipment. The objective of this Phase I project is to develop a new highly conductive hydrocarbon membranes to improve fuel cell device durability and efficiency. This technology uses a new hydrocarbon material with linking sites for stability that is different from functional proton conducting sites. The opportunity to decouple stability from conductivity promises the opportunity to develop new hydrocarbon proton exchange membranes that can beat incumbent membrane performance while decreasing cost and maintaining durability. Technical hurdles that will be addressed include synthesis of the new hydrocarbon polymers with unique linking sites, technoeconomic analysis to address change in cost from usage of this novel polymer on the total device and materials price, integration of the membrane into a functional catalyst coated membrane, comparison to go-no go metrics, and demonstrating device level data with the new system. The clear deliverable at the end of Phase 1 is a catalyst coated membrane that is ready for integrated fuel cell testing. Superior hydrogen devices like fuel cells enabled by new membranes can realize renewable usage of hydrogen as a multi-vector solution for the future of energy. New hydrocarbon membranes can catalyze adoption of a hydrogen economy by enabling a pathway to market starting with heavy industrial applications. Globally, hydrogen bolsters U.S energy security by reducing reliance on critical raw materials that are geographically constrained while leveraging existing industrial expertise and gas infrastructure. Economically, the transition to the hydrogen economy would avert 6 Gt of CO2 emissions while creating an estimated 2.5 trillion in revenue and 30 million new jobs by mid-century.