I-Corps: Thin Flexible Fuel Cell

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发高能量密度的电源，一种氢燃料薄柔性燃料电池（TFFC）。所提出的技术可以解决对高性能、可持续的便携式电源日益增长的需求。先进便携式系统的电力需求持续增长，而电池限制了它们的可用性。例如，商用无人机由于尺寸和重量的限制而使用锂电池。这些电池提供的最大飞行时间为30分钟，这大大扰乱了工作流程。TFFC可能有助于扩大氢燃料电池在清洁、可持续能源方面的便携式应用。此外，TFFC最终可能有助于向轻型氢燃料电池的转变，在广泛的垂直领域，需要一个能量密集的电源，可定制的形状因素。这个I-Corps项目是基于一种新型氢燃料电池的开发。该技术是一种薄型柔性燃料电池（TFFC），采用了一种架构，消除了传统燃料电池中使用的重金属部件（双极板），减轻了重量，并显著提高了整个电力系统的能量密度。TFFC是一种质子交换膜（PEM）燃料电池，非常适合轻量化应用，因为所有传统金属制造的结构和包装部件都被轻质聚合物所取代。这种结构的功率密度远远超过现有的燃料电池。该结构超薄（~ 1毫米），灵活，可以形成任意形状。外形因素使高效被动冷却通过面积比例对流传热，避免需要主动冷却组件，如液体冷却剂，散热器，泵等。其结果是一种简单、高可靠、轻便、紧凑、低成本的电源，可以集成到无人机机身中，可以在广泛的环境温度和条件下运行。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a high energy density power source, a hydrogen-fed thin flexible fuel cell (TFFC). The proposed technology may address the growing need for a higher performing, sustainable portable power source. Advanced portable systems continue to grow in power requirements and batteries are limiting their usability. For example, commercial drones use lithium-based batteries due to size and weight limits. These batteries provide a maximum flight time of 30 minutes, which disrupts workflow significantly. The TFFC may help to expand hydrogen fuel cell portable applications for clean, sustainable energy. In addition, the TFFC ultimately may contribute towards a shift towards lightweight hydrogen fuel cells in a wide array of verticals that require an energy-dense power source in a customizable form factor.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a new type of hydrogen fuel cell. The proposed technology, a thin flexible fuel cell (TFFC), uses an architecture that eliminates the heavy metallic parts (bipolar plates) used in conventional fuel cells, reducing weight, and significantly increasing energy density of the overall power system. The TFFC is a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell that is uniquely suited to lightweight applications because all the structural and packaging components that are conventionally fabricated from metals have been replaced by lightweight polymers. The resulting structure possesses power density that far exceeds those of existing fuel cells. The structure is ultra-thin (~ 1 mm) and flexible so that it can be formed into arbitrary shapes. The form factor enables highly efficient passive cooling through area-proportional convective heat transfer, obviating the need for active cooling components such as liquid coolants, radiators, pumps, etc. The result is a simple, highly reliable, lightweight, compact, low-cost power source that may be integrated into an unmanned aerial vehicle airframe that can operate over a wide range of ambient temperatures and conditions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.