Use of nanomaterials in fuel cell technology

化石燃料可以作为一种能源货币加以补充，方法是引入氢作为能源转移的媒介，通过利用电解槽和燃料电池进行发电、储存和转化为电力。这种发电模式可以通过引入可再生能源来缓解与温室气体排放影响相关的问题。所有主要汽车公司(福特、通用、戴姆勒-克莱斯勒、宝马、本田、丰田)今天都有主要的燃料电池计划和示范车上路。燃料电池技术商业化的要求是设备相对便宜，而且它们将在广泛的电力需求下可靠地运行。这两个要求都要求开发出活性、稳定和经济高效的电催化剂，以取代目前用于碱性燃料电池电极的昂贵的贵金属。对非晶态和纳米晶材料发展的基础研究表明，这些材料作为电催化剂和耐蚀材料具有优异的优点。前沿碱性水电解槽(AWE)可以加压，可以接近SPEWE的电流密度和填充效率。缺少的关键一环是在碱性燃料电池(AFC)技术中结合纳米工程材料的开发，以显著提高操作电流密度、包装效率等。组合(AWE/AFC)系统通过共享工厂组件的平衡，在极大地降低成本和系统简单性的情况下提供显著的性能属性。作者在电池设计和可在该提议中利用的材料方面开发了重要的知识产权。该提议的目的是：(I)利用快速凝固/热玻璃化和溅射沉积来制备最佳的非晶态和纳米晶催化剂。(Ii)表征这些非晶态和纳米晶材料的结构和化学性质，(Iii)使用电化学分析和表面分析技术，如俄歇电子能谱(AES)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)，评估燃料电池中使用的非晶态/纳米晶材料的腐蚀、电催化性能和稳定性；(Iv)将这些材料整合到涉及电解和燃料电池单元的系统设计中。

Fossil fuels can be supplemented as an energy currency by introducing hydrogen as the medium of energy transfer through generation, storage and conversion into electricity by utilization of electrolysers and fuel cells. This mode of generation can alleviate problems associated with GHG emission effects by the introduction of renewables. All major automotive companies (Ford, GM, Daimler-Chrysler, BMW, Honda, Toyota)have major fuel cell programs and demonstration vehicles on the road today.  Requirements for the commercialization of fuel cell technology are that devices are relatively inexpensive and that they will operate reliably over a wide range of power demands. Both of these requirements necessitate that active, stable, and cost effective electrocatalysts be developed to replace the expensive noble metals now used in alkaline fuel cell electrodes. Fundamental research on the development of amorphous and nanocrystalline materials has shown these materials to have excellent merit as electrocatalysts and corrosion resistant materials. The leading edge alkaline water electrolyser(AWE) can be pressurized and can approach the current density and packing efficiency of SPEWE. The key missing link is the incorporation of nanoengineering material developments in alkaline fuel cell (AFC) technology to significantly improve operating current density, packing efficiency etc.The combined (AWE/AFC)system offers significant performance attributes at a greatly reduced cost and system simplicity by sharing balance of plant components .The author has developed significant intellectual property in both cell design and materials that can be exploited in this proposal.The objectives of this proposal are: (i) to fabricate optimal amorphous and nanocrystalline catalysts using rapidsolidification/thermal devitrification and sputter deposition (ii) to characterize the structural and chemical nature of these amorphous and nanocrystalline materials,(iii) to assess the corrosion and electrocatalytic performance and stability of amorphous / nanocrystalline materials for use in fuel cells using electrochemicaland surface analytical techniques such as AES and XPS,(iv) to integrate these materials into a system design involving both an electrolysis and fuel cell unit.