Objective
IPHE-GENIE responds to Call FP6-2005-Energy-4, addressing the specific topic of "enhancing strategically important international cooperation initiatives" with non-EU IPHE member states on the matter of solving technical barriers to hydrogen and fuel cell deployment. IPHE-GENIE does so by cooperation with a research institute, a university and an industry from Russia and China.
The technical barrier that IPHE-GENIE addresses is that of the too low operating temperature of the PEMFC and the need for high humidity of the reactants. These operational boundary conditions of existing proton conducting polymers form an obstacle for the wide spread introduction of fuel cell vehicles, in various power ranges and under a wide variety of climatic conditions. The expected outcome of IPHE-GENIE will be an MEA that tolerates temperature excursions to 120 oC and that operates at RH 25-50%. The MEA should as well tolerate -40oC and start up at -20oC.
The approach chosen is that of a well-defined in-situ cross-linking o f low equivalent weight-fluorinated membranes. The conductivity at low R.H. of such membranes will be improved. At the same time infinite swelling at high temperature will be limited by covalent cross-linking and hybrid membrane technologies. This novel approach leads to improved lifetime of both the membrane and the MEA. No work reported so far on the stabilisation of PFSA membranes by cross-linking using fluorinated multifunctional monomers.
IPHE-GENIE also addresses the issue of catalyst stability at elevated temperature by the development of new catalysts, catalysts supports and electrodes that under automotive conditions and at the targeted operating temperatures and humidities will have an operational life time of at least 5000 hrs. IPHE-GENIE is related to AUTOBRANE, contract no.: 020074.
Fields of science
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologychemical engineeringseparation technologies
- natural scienceschemical sciencescatalysis
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cells
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energyhydrogen energy
Call for proposal
FP6-2005-ENERGY-4
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
STREP - Specific Targeted Research ProjectCoordinator
PETTEN
Netherlands