Fluorine-free catalyst layers for low temperature hydrogen fuel cells

该项目旨在开展研究，推动氢/空气燃料电池的无氟质子交换膜电极组件的开发，并提高加拿大未来全球燃料电池和氢技术市场的竞争力。在SFU发明的无氟质子导电塑料的基础上，温哥华的Ionomr Innovations公司最近以超薄膜的形式将其商业化，现在的注意力集中在多孔电极层的无氟质子导电聚合物粘合剂上，以促进膜两侧氢氧化和氧还原所需的电化学反应。这个话题很重要，因为氢燃料电池的规模和部署是加拿大加强气候行动计划的一个组成部分，该计划旨在到2050年将二氧化碳净排放量减少到零，正如加拿大新推出的氢战略所强调的那样。H2战略建议到2050年在加拿大推出500万辆燃料电池汽车，并支持氢经济的广泛采用，仅在加拿大就将减少1.9亿吨二氧化碳当量的二氧化碳排放量。需要制造的大量燃料电池发动机以及支持这些活动所需的材料数量需要材料设计的创新解决方案。iononomr Innovations Inc.和SFU之间的合作伙伴关系的潜在结果是提供加拿大制造的重大技术进步，可以整合到快速发展的氢燃料电池经济中，以促进加拿大雄心勃勃的氢战略的实现。

This project is designed to undertake research that propels development of fluorine-free, proton exchangemembrane electrode assemblies for hydrogen/air fuel cells and to foster increased competitiveness for Canadain future global fuel cell and hydrogen technology markets. Building on advancements in fluorine-free protonconducting plastics invented at SFU that have been recently commercialized in the form of ultra-thinmembranes by Vancouver-based Ionomr Innovations Inc., attention is now focused on fluorine-free protonconducting polymeric binders for porous electrode layers in order to facilitate the electrochemical reactionsrequired for hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction on either side of the membrane. This topic is importantbecause scale up and deployment of hydrogen fuel cells is an integral component of Canada's StrengthenedClimate Action Plan designed to reduce net CO2 emissions to zero by 2050, as reinforced by Canada's newlyminted Hydrogen Strategy. The H2 strategy proposes the roll out 5 million fuel cell vehicles in Canada by 2050and support widespread adoption of the hydrogen economy, that will abate CO2 emissions by 190 Mt-CO2e inCanada alone. The vast number of fuel cell engines that need to be manufactured, and the quantity of materialsneeded to support these activities requires innovative solutions for materials design. The potential outcome ofthis partnership between Ionomr Innovations Inc. and SFU is to provide a significant Canada-madetechnological advance that can be integrated into the fast-expanding hydrogen fuel cell economy to facilitaterealization of Canada's ambitious hydrogen strategy.