Advanced polymer electrolyte membranes for alcohol fuel cell sensors

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Alcohol fuel cell sensor (AFCS) has been attracting considerable attention due to the great potential in the detection of human breath alcohol concentration. One major technical barrier specifically associated with the AFCS is performance decrease of the sensor due to dehydration of the proton electrolyte membrane (PEM) and catalysts layers (CL) within environmental (temperature and humidity) extremes. Our approach to solve the problem is to (i) develop and apply a composite PEM with high capacity for water retention at various environmental conditions and (ii) the optimization of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) fabrication methods could provide a significant advancement in determining and prolonging the performance of AFCSs. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop novel humidity-independant composite membranes and MEA with excellent stability for fuel cell sensors and initiate the first time collaboration with Alcohol Countermeasure Systems Corp. to commercialize of the fuel cell sensors. The results of the proposed research will help enhance the performance and stability and reduce the cost of fuel cell sensors, and expand and enhance the capability of relevant Canadian industry, thus contributing to the development of knowledge-based Canadian economy. The proposed research could bring revolutionary advances to the fuel cell sensor technology by taking advantages of the most recent progresses in nanotechnology. The proposed activity also aims to train highly qualified personnel (HQP) who will be critical in the development of next generation technology in Canada and globally.