I-Corps: Low-cost and high-durability fuel cells

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是燃料电池技术的商业化可行性，以帮助燃料电池制造商解决铂族金属催化剂的高负载问题。 燃料电池解决了日益增长的社会利益和市场需求，可持续和清洁能源作为化石燃料的替代品，并减少道路和非道路运输排放。该技术将使燃料电池堆或部件制造商受益，这些制造商目前遭受与催化剂材料的高成本和燃料电池操作的短寿命相关的高制造成本。该技术还将有可能使农业无人机制造商受益，这些制造商正在寻求替代的轻质，高效的能源包，以提供长飞行时间和低/零污染。全球燃料电池市场将以约21%的复合年增长率增长，到2026年将达到约120亿美元。 基于燃料电池的混合动力系统预计将达到460亿美元。客户发现将确定市场需求，探索技术许可机会，并制定商业化计划。该项目还将培养学生和研究人员更好地准备在技术商业化中追求创业精神。该I-Corps项目将专注于客户发现，以识别市场机会，探索创业精神，并开发以新燃料电池技术为中心的商业模式。燃料电池技术有潜力解决现有市场中的一些挑战，这些挑战来自于提供替代能源存储和转换模块的特定需求，这些模块可以有效地管理能源消耗、清洁环境和零污染以及住宅用途的高能效。 催化剂材料在总制造成本中的高成本和现有催化剂的差耐久性构成了大规模生产和应用的主要障碍。本项目中的燃料电池技术将通过使用超低负载量的铂族金属催化剂和有效的膜电极组件来克服这些障碍，为燃料电池制造商和能量储存和转换设施提供低成本和高耐久性的转换系统。 燃料电池模块的最小可行原型演示也将是技术开发路线图的一部分。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the commercialization feasibility of a fuel cell technology to help fuel cell manufacturers solve the problem of high loading of platinum group metal catalysts. Fuel cells address the increasing societal interest and market needs in sustainable and clean energy sources as substitutes for fossil fuels, and the reduction of on-road and off-road transportation emissions. The technology will benefit the fuel cell stack or parts manufacturers who currently suffers from high manufacturing costs associated with high-cost of catalyst materials and short lifetime of fuel cell operation. The technology also will have the potential to benefit the agriculture drone manufacturers seeking alternative lightweight, highly-efficient energy package that provides long flight duration and low/zero pollution. The global fuel cell market will grow at an CAGR of about 21% to hit about 12 billion US dollars by 2026. Fuel cell-based hybrid systems are forecast to reach 46 billion US dollars. The customer discovery will identify the market needs, explore technology licensing opportunities, and develop commercialization plans. The project also will train students and researchers to better prepare to pursue entrepreneurship in technology commercialization.This I-Corps project will focus on customer discovery to identify the market opportunity, explore entrepreneurship, and develop the business model centering on the new fuel cell technology. The fuel cell technology has the potential to address some of the challenges in the existing market in terms of customer needs arising from specific requirement to provide alternative energy storage and conversion modules that effectively manage the energy consumption, clean environment and zero pollution as well as high energy efficiency for residential use. The high cost associated with catalyst materials in the total manufacturing cost and the poor durability of existing catalysts constitute the major barrier to the mass production and application. The fuel cell technology in this project will overcome these barriers by using ultralow loading of platinum group metal catalysts and effective membrane electrode assembly to provide a low cost and high durability conversion system for fuel cell manufacturers and energy storage and conversion facilities. A minimum viable prototype demonstration of fuel cell modules also will be part of the technology development roadmap.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.