PFI: BIC- Electricity from Bio-Ethanol Powered Fuel Cells

印第安纳大学/普渡大学印第安纳波利斯大学(IUPUI)的这一创新伙伴关系：建设创新能力项目旨在应对新型阴离子交换膜直接乙醇燃料电池(AEM-DEFC)技术的耐用性、成本和效率方面的挑战，同时优化乙醇燃料，以生产整体、有市场价值的能源设备和燃料来源。目前商业化的低温燃料电池的最大限制是膜和铂基电催化剂的高成本和降解。与这些燃料电池相比，AEM-DEFC有几个关键的优势：(1)更快、更有效的氧气和乙醇反应，以更少的原材料产生更多的能量；(2)更多更便宜的非铂电极选择；(3)燃料电池组件更稳定；以及(4)通过使用生物乙醇提高燃料安全性和便携性。自2008年以来，PI的团队一直在创新阴离子交换膜燃料电池中价格实惠、高效的聚合物电解质膜和催化剂的技术，并为其申请专利。将这种早期技术推向市场的剩余挑战是在广泛的应用和燃料类型中展示其稳定性和效率。这项研究的更广泛影响是在合作伙伴之间建立技术联盟，通过燃料电池技术和邻近领域专家独特的多学科互动建立创新能力。通过建立一体化伙伴关系以获得AEM-DEFC组件材料、燃料来源、营销战略和燃料优化研究专门知识，将提高国际燃料电池研究所的创新能力。小企业伙伴的创新能力将通过申请他们现有的知识产权得到加强：1)为生物乙醇燃料生产提供一个新的市场(Xylogenics，Inc.)；2)将现有的市场战略以及原型和验证过程扩展到燃料电池技术(Faraday Technology，Inc.)；以及3)在膜开发之外，通过解决催化剂挑战来精炼AEMFC技术(Tremont Technology LLC)。更广泛地说，AEM-DEFC具有很大的潜力，分别用于远程军事行动和便携式电子应用中取代燃烧动力发电机和可充电电池，因为它们具有高效率、便携、低检测(较低热特征)、无需电池充电和低成本。及时开发高效、耐用和具有成本效益的AEM-DEFC和相应的生物乙醇燃料，对于满足当前和未来的能源需求，同时通过当地来源的生物燃料降低运营成本和军事脆弱性至关重要。商业化的AEM-DEFC将通过振兴工业和农村经济产生局部影响，并通过减轻对不可再生资源的压力和减少温室气体排放而产生全球影响。项目开始时的合作伙伴是：印第安纳大学/普渡大学印第安纳波利斯大学，包括工程和技术系、生物化学和分子生物学系，以及理查德·G·卢格可再生能源中心；基于技术的小型商业合作伙伴：Faraday Technology Inc.(俄亥俄州克莱顿)、Tremont Technology LLC(Fishers，印第安纳州)和Xylogenics Inc.(印第安纳州印第安纳州)；以及下列部门的其他合作伙伴：非营利组织--印第安纳大学研究和技术公司(印第安纳州印第安纳波利斯)；政府--印第安纳州惩教署(印第安纳州印第安纳波利斯)；以及小企业--瓜田公司(印第安纳州奥克敦)。

This Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity project from Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) aims to address challenges of durability, cost, and efficiency in novel anion-exchange-membrane direct ethanol fuel cell (AEM-DEFC) technology coupled with the optimization of ethanol fuels to produce holistic, market-valued energy devices and fuel sources. The biggest limitation for currently commercialized low temperature fuel cells is the high cost and degradation of membranes and platinum-based electrocatalysts. AEM-DEFCs have several key advantages over these fuel cells: (1) faster, more efficient oxygen and ethanol reactions to produce more energy with less raw material; (2) wider choices of cheaper, non-platinum electrodes; (3) greater stability of fuel cell components; and (4) increased fuel safety and portability by using bio-ethanol. Since 2008, the PI's team has innovated and patented the technology for affordable, highly efficient polymeric electrolyte membranes and catalysts in anion-exchange-membrane fuel cells. The remaining challenge for advancing this early-stage technology to the marketplace is demonstrating its stability and efficiency in a wide range of applications and fuel types.The broader impacts of this research are to create technology alliances among partners that build innovation capacity from the unique multidisciplinary interaction of experts in fuel cell technology and adjacent fields. The innovation capacity of IUPUI will be increased through the establishment of integral partnerships to obtain AEM-DEFC component materials, fuel sources, marketing strategies, and fuels optimization research expertise. The innovation capacity of the small business partners will be reinforced through applications for their existing intellectual property by: 1) providing a new market for bio-ethanol fuel production (Xylogenics, Inc.); 2) expanding existing market strategies and prototyping and validation processes into fuel cell technologies (Faraday Technology, Inc.); and 3) refining AEMFC technologies by addressing the catalyst challenges in addition to membrane development (Tremont Technology LLC). More broadly, AEM-DEFCs have great potential to replace combustion-powered generators and rechargeable batteries for remote military operations and portable electronic applications, respectively, because of their high efficiency, portability, low-detection (lower heat signature), no battery recharge, and low cost. The timely development of efficient, durable, and cost-effective AEM-DEFCs and corresponding bio-ethanol fuels is imperative to meeting current and future energy demands while reducing operating costs and military vulnerability through locally-source bio-fuels. Commercialized AEM-DEFCs will have local impact by revitalizing industrial and rural economies and global impact by alleviating pressure on non-renewable resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.Partners at the inception of the project are the lead academic institution: Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis, including the Department of Engineering and Technology, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy; small technology-based business partners: Faraday Technology Inc. (Clayton, Ohio), Tremont Technology LLC (Fishers, Indiana), and Xylogenics Inc. (Indianapolis, Indiana); and other partners in the following sectors: non-profit--Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation (Indianapolis, Indiana); government--Indiana Department of Corrections (Indianapolis, Indiana); and small business--Melon Acres, Inc.(Oaktown, Indiana).