Fuel Cell Nation

New PNNL Catalyst

Jun Liu at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has published a new paper titled Stabilization of Electrocatalytic Metal Nanoparticles at Metal-Metal Oxide-Graphene Triple Junction Points. A paperweight for platinum, a press release from PNNL, summarizes the cathode catalyst work.

Liu and co-workers synthesized indium tin oxide (ITO) on graphene, then added platinum to create a reportedly more stable, more active oxygen reduction catalyst. Both density functional theory (DFT) modeling on a supercomputer and electrochemical testing showed marked stability and activity improvements over the classic platinum on carbon catalyst, or even platinum on graphene. Fuel cell testing has not yet been completed.

This is important and interesting work that builds on the early research by Chhina et al, An oxidation-resistant indium tin oxide catalyst support for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Apparently by supporting the ITO/Pt particles on the graphene substrate, Liu is able to produce these activity and stability improvements. The interesting thing is that in his ongoing DOE-funded research program Development of Alternative and Durable High Performance, Cathode Supports for PEM Fuel Cells, Liu did not initially choose to research ITO as a catalyst support. It was only as his research progressed that he started testing ITO, leading to this new ternary catalyst!

Now we have to wait fuel cell test results! Unfortunately, too many catalysts have shown promise in preliminary tests, only to show problems and limitations during subsequent comprehensive tests. Good luck!

Smart New Membrane

It has been fun here at Giner Electrochemical Systems watching some smart people conceive of and develop a fundamentally different proton exchange membrane (PEM). This new Dimensionally Stable Membrane (DSM™) offers a marked improvement in mechanical properties over conventional PEM membranes like DuPont's Nafion^® 112.

Recently released U.S. Patent 7,867,669, Solid polymer electrolyte composite membrane comprising laser micromachined porous support describes a new Giner patent covering another aspect of its structure. In this patent, a perforated sheet of a strong engineering plastic has its holes filled with (for instance) a low equivalent-weight PEM material. Subsequently, different equivalent weight PEM is added to both sides of the central sheet. This composite DSM material shows stellar mechanical stability compared to the “gold-standard” DuPont Nafion 112 (Nafion) with a creep rate, as well as X-Y in-plane swelling at least one order of magnitude lower than Nafion.

This new material can be used in hydrogen fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), electrolyzers, and for any application that uses PEM, to provide improved electrochemical performance. For instance, in 2008, Giner demonstrated DSM™ membrane on a 160 cm² active area cell that met the DOE’s electrolyzer performance targets for 2012.

Congratulations Han, Tony, Corky, Tom, and everyone else working on DSM!

7,867,669

Solid polymer electrolyte composite membrane comprising laser micromachined porous support

European Hydrogen Storage

Prof. Duncan H Gregory is on a roll. Not only is he a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow (Scotland), and landed a job as Scientific Consultant with the startup Hydrogen Horizons, but he has recently teamed with European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).

EADS Innovation Works recently issued the press release Nanotechnology could pave the way for hydrogen fuels where they announce their receipt of funding from the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network - part of the UK Technology Strategy Board - and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). This funding will allow the team of EADS IW, Hydrogen Horizons, and University of Glasgow to pay a student to carry out a four year PhD project on replacing the "current" PCT patent-pending Hydrisafe metal hydride material with a more advanced material. The release also describes the current Hydrisafe storage material as being the commercially available lanthanum nickel hydride (LaNi₅H₆) - certainly not very experimental at all! So did Hydrogen Hoirzons recently apply to patent a commercially-available material?

A read of the Hydrogen Horizons PCT application A hydrogen containing tank shows a fairly weak patent application. Dr. Fredy Ornath, CEO of Hydrogen Horizons, is the only listed inventor, and he provides no data/description/claims on what really counts - the composition and performance of the hydrogen storage material! In other words, it is basically a heat transfer patent.

Wanting to find if they really have something in the pipeline, some Googling uncovered this presentation from 3 years ago:

Applied Hydrogen Inc. - Solid Hydrogen Packaging for Vehicles, Utilities and Merchant Delivery
From The Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute. 

Now it looks like some double-dipping is going on - many of the slides in this Applied Hydrogen Inc. presentation match those in the previous link to a Hydrogen Horizons presentation. Plus, many of the founders and technical people are the same in Hydrogen Horizons and Applied Hydrogen Inc. I hope that Prof. Gregory and EADS know what they are getting into...

Mercedes Fuel Cell Vehicle PR Tour - Oops!

Image: © 2009 Daimler AG

Bloomberg has a story titled Mercedes 18,600-Mile Trip Parts With Daimler's Century of Strategy Shifts that describes the plans for three B-Class F-CELL cars to circumnavigate the globe. It involves 4 continents, 14 countries, and more than 20 stopovers with their fuel cell vehicles.

Each car includes:

• A fuel cell stack operating at 80 C
• A lithium-ion battery
• 700 bar (10,000 psi) compressed hydrogen storage
• A single front-drive motor

Cold-start capability is promised down to minus 25 degrees Celsius.

All is well until Bloomberg discusses that "Daimler, which packed fuel cells into the back of a delivery van to create the world’s first vehicle using that technology in 1994." I couldn't believe this, so I found the Mercedes press release Zero-emission vehicle sets off on automotive marathon: Starting shot fired for F-CELL World Drive. Somehow, a Mercedes flack says "Mercedes-Benz recognized this potential at an early stage, launching the first vehicle with fuel cell drive, the NECAR 1, as early as 1994." Mercedes, do some fact checking!

It is very easy to find multiple references to the 1966 GM Electrovan, the REAL first fuel cell vehicle. The Electrovan had 32 1 kilowatt alkaline fuel cell "modules," and had a peak power output of 160 kW. Luckily, it never got recycled, and is at the General Motors Heritage Center near Detroit.