Durable hydrocarbon-based fuel cell membranes

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Hydrogen fuel cells are gaining significant momentum worldwide due to the increasingly urgent need for zero-emission transportation systems across all sectors. Large-scale adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles, however, still requires significant cost reductions and durability improvements, in particular for heavy duty vehicles. The ionomer membrane that separates the two fuel cell electrodes is at the epicentre of this dilemma, being a costly component at scale, which is also susceptible to premature failure. There are also concerns about the environmental impacts of the fluorinated membranes that are typically used in this application, as toxic, bio-accumulating fluorine waste may adversely affect human health and natural ecosystems. A promising route to achieving cost reduction is therefore to investigate low-cost, fluorine-free membranes to replace the conventional materials used in fuel cells. However, past attempts to introduce alternative membranes have failed due to poor stability and durability in the fuel cell environment. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to address and overcome the present stability and durability impediments of emerging, fluorine-free membranes for polymer electrolyte fuel cell applications. Fuel cell durability is considered the last remaining research frontier for these breakthrough materials and will be addressed in this project using an in-depth scientific approach, targeting to unlock broad societal adoption and use of the technology. The project will form a new university-industry research partnership between Simon Fraser University (SFU) Fuel Cell Research Lab (FCReL) and Ionomr Innovations, covering the required expertise, facilities, and knowledge translation to generate transformative results and outcomes. Specifically, this partnership will merge FCReL's vast expertise and research tools on fuel cell durability with Ionomr's emerging, high-performing hydrocarbon ionomer materials and related expertise and technical knowledge.