SBIR Phase II: Commercially Viable Deposition of Catalytic Films onto Proton Conducting Membranes

这个小型企业创新研究二期项目将研究催化膜在质子导电燃料氧化剂分离膜的阳极和阴极两侧的应用。在质子交换膜（PEMs）的情况下，如NAFION，催化膜已经通过几种方法应用，并取得了不同程度的成功。大多数生产高性能燃料电池的方法对于大众市场应用来说都太昂贵了。燃烧化学气相沉积（CCVD）是一个强有力的候选方案，为PEMS上的催化涂层提供低成本的解决方案。CCVD的主要优点是能够在开放气氛中以生产友好的方式沉积高质量的薄膜。该工艺使用简单、低成本的设备和相对便宜的被涂材料前体。第一阶段的努力证明，CCVD可以有效地将铂沉积到NAFION膜上，从而生产出功能正常的燃料电池组件，而不会对PEM造成任何可测量的损坏。第二阶段的研究将集中于原型涂层系统的构建、可扩展性问题的解决和性能成就。价值数十亿美元的燃料电池的机会范围从航天器到固定和运输能源。如果得到资助，低成本的CCVD技术可以在PEM燃料电池技术的广泛商业化中发挥重要作用。＊＊＊

*** 9801444 Hunt This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will address the application of catalytic films on the anodic and cathodic sides of proton conducting fuel-oxidant separation membranes. In the case of proton exchange membranes (PEMs), such as NAFION, catalytic films have been applied by several methods with varying degrees of success. Most methods that yield high performance fuel cells are far too expensive for mass-market applications. The Combustion Chemical Vapor Deposition (CCVD) is a strong candidate to provide a low-cost solution for catalytic coatings onto PEMS. CCVD's primary advantage is the ability to deposit high quality thin films in the open atmosphere in a production friendly manner. The process uses simple, low-cost equipment and relatively inexpensive precursors of the materials to be coated. The Phase I effort proved that CCVD could effectively deposit platinum onto a NAFION membrane to produce a functioning fuel cell assembly without any measurable deterioration of the PEM. Phase II research will focus on construction of a prototype coating system, resolution of scalability issues, and performance achievement. The billion-dollar fuel cell opportunity range from spacecraft to stationary and transportation energy sources. If funded, the low cost CCVD technology can play an important role in the widespread commercialization of PEM fuel cell technology. ***