I-Corps: A Novel Tubular Proton Exchange Fuel Cell Design

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是一种新型管状质子交换燃料电池的潜在开发和从便携式电子产品到运输应用的潜在商业化。预计燃料电池将在零排放发电以及氢工业和清洁能源的扩张中发挥重要作用，预计到2024年全球市场规模将达到255亿美元。然而，当前的平面燃料电池设计在它们能够与能源部的特定功率、性能、成本和耐久性的目标兼容之前具有挑战。所提出的技术可能会解决一些这些挑战，由于其新颖的管状design.This I-Corps项目是基于一个拟议的管状质子交换燃料电池，由于其新颖的设计，可以提供减轻重量和提高比功率以及降低复杂性，并降低成本相比，传统的平面燃料电池设计的潜在发展。该技术还可以提供改进的反应物质量传输，可能改进的有效产物水去除，并且可以具有改进的均匀反应物、电流和温度分布。在该技术中，传统的、平面的、附聚型燃料电池以及基于碳纳米纤维的燃料电池的结构-性质-性能-退化相关性，也可以建立，以帮助指导未来合理设计高效和稳定的零部件，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评估，被认为值得支持。影响审查标准。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential development of a novel tubular proton exchange fuel cell and potential commercialization for applications ranging from portable electronics to transport applications. Fuel cells are expected to play a significant role in zero-emission power generation and in the expansion of the hydrogen industry and clean energy, with the global market size projected to reach $25.5 billion by 2024. However, current planar fuel cell designs have challenges before they can be compatible with the Department of Energy targets for specific power, performance, cost, and durability. The proposed technology may address a number of these challenges due to its novel tubular design.This I-Corps project is based on the potential development of a proposed tubular proton exchange fuel cell, which due to its novel design, could offer reduced weight and improved specific power as well as reduced complexity, and reduced cost compared to the conventional planar fuel cell design. The technology may also offer improved reactant mass transport, possibly improved efficient product water removal, and may possess improved uniform reactant, current and temperature distribution. In this technology, structure-property-performance-degradation correlations for conventional, planar, agglomerate-type fuel cells, as well as carbon nanofiber-based fuel cells, could also be established to help guide the future rational design of efficient and stable components for zero-emission systems.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.