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ADVANCED PEROVSKITE ELECTROCATALYSIS FOR DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELLS

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 15184
Amount: $49,998.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1991
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
4260 Westbrook Drive
Aurora, IL 60504
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 John White
 Principal Investigator
 (513) 426-6994
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

THE PROPOSED PHASE I PROGRAM ADDRESSES PROBLEMS CURRENTLY INHIBITING DEVELOPMENT OF DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELLS BY SUBSTITUTING HIGH AREA PEROVSKITE ELECTROCATALYSTS OF THE GENERAL COMPOSITION LN1-XAXCOO3, AND ACO1-XFEXO3 (WHERE LN - LA, ND, SM AND EU; A' = BA, SR, CA AND CE WITH O < X < 0.6; A - BA AND SR WITH O < X < O.4) FORDISPERSED NOBLE METAL ELECTOCATALYSTS CURRENTLY USED FOR THIS APPLICATION IN SOLID POLYMER ELECTROLYTE (PE) BASED FUEL CELLS. THE ABILITY OF THE PROPOSED ANODE ELECTROCATALYSTS TO MAINTAIN HIGHER LONG TERM ACTIVITY THAN CURRENT NOBLE METAL ELECTROCATALYSTS WILL IN-PART BE RELATED TO THEIR CAPACITY TOWARDS SUPPLYING BASIC SURFACE OXIDE IONS FOR DEHYDROGENATION OF ADSORBED METHANOL AND FOR SUBSEQUENT OXIDATIVE REACTION TOWARDS CHEMISORBED INTERMEDIATES WHICH MIGHT POTENTIALLY POISON ELECTRO-CATALYST REACTION SITES. WE EXPECT THAT TRANSITION METAL D-ORBITAL OCCUPANCY WILL ALSO INFLUENCE PEROVSKITE ELECTROCATALYST ACTIVITY TOWARDS THE OXIDATIVE REMOVAL OF INTERMEDIATES. WORK TO BE PERFORMED DURING PHASE I WILL CHARACTERIZE THE ELECTROCHEMICAL UTILITY OF PROPOSED PEROVSKITE ELECTROCATALYSTS. THESE MATERIALS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO GAS DIFFUSION ANODES WITHIN PE FUEL CELLS. WE ANTICIPATE THAT SUCHA STRATEGY WILL PROVIDE A DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL WITH ANODE ELECTROCATALYST SITES FREE OF SURFACE POISONING RESTRICTIONS CURRENTLY INHERENT WITH PLATINUM ALLOY BASED ELECTROCATALYSTS. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS - THE ANTICIPATED BENEFIT TO RESULTFROM PERFORMANCE OF THIS PROGRAM WILL BE THE IDENTIFICATION OF ADVANCED PEROVSKITE ELECTROCATALYSIS AND GAS DIFFUSION ELECTRODE TECHNOLOGY COMPATIBLE FOR INCORPORATION INTO DIRECT METHANOL POLYMER ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELLS. SINCE THE PROPOSED ELECTROCATALYSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE INSENSITIVE TO SURFACE POISONING EFFECTS CAUSED BY METHANOL PARTIAL OXIDATION PRODUCTS, LONG PERFORMANCE LIFETIMES CAN BE EXPECTED.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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