Non-noble catalysts for PEM fuel cells

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Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) hold promise as power supplies for zero emission vehiclesand as sources of stationary power. Canada has a strong presence in PEMFC research, development andmanufacturing. Nevertheless, there still remain significant barriers to the production and use of low-cost fuelcells. One of these is the high cost and limited lifetime of noble metal catalysts (primarily Pt) presently used inthe fuel cell. There has been an intense world-wide search for non-noble metal alternatives to Pt over the lastfew years, of which we have been a part. Transition-metal-carbon-nitrogen (TM-C-N) materials have beenidentified that are promising as replacements for Pt.This research project focuses on the search for and understanding of non-noble metal catalysts, primarilyTM-C-N, for the PEMFC using the techniques of Combinatorial and High Throughput Materials Science(CMS) where many different materials are synthesized and tested in a single experiment. Our laboratory hasbuild up a significant CMS infrastructure using investments from CFI, NSRIT and NSERC. For the last threeyears, beginning with virtually no prior experience, under a Strategic Project grant, we have been investigatingnon-noble metal catalysts (NNMC) using CMS along with collaborators at 3M and 3M Canada. We are thefirst laboratory to produce highly active NNMC as sputtered thin-films. We have developed significantexpertise and understanding of these systems which has been disseminated.Many questions regarding these catalysts remain, some of which must be answered before commercialviability is possible. What is the catalytic site? What is the catalytic mechanism? Are the numerous"different" TM-C-N NNMC prepared by numerous groups around the world actually one and the same? Howdurable are these catalysts - that is will they last long enough for fuel cell applications? Can better NNMCcatalysts be found? This proposal addresses these issues.