Ionomer Dispersion Impact on Advanced Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Performance and Durability

The non-aqueous ionomer dispersion technology invented at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has demonstrated great potential to significantly improve the lifetime of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and electrolyzers. However, further validation and improvements are needed to make this technology commercially viable. The overall objective of this project is to further develop and commercialize LANLs ionomer dispersion technology. The ionomer dispersion technology will be integrated with dimension- stabilized membrane (DSM) platform to create more durable membrane and electrode assemblies (MEAs) for PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers in an economically feasible way. In our Phase I project, this ionomer dispersion technology was successfully combined with DSM technology to create more durable MEAs. These MEAs simultaneously demonstrated remarkable chemical stability and mechanically stability after being subjected to accelerated stress tests. In the Phase II project, we will further develop this technology in more processable, scalable, and profitable ways. We will use a roll-to-roll process to make full-sized MEAs that combine non- aqueous ionomer dispersion and DSMs. We will evaluate these MEAs in more extensive and practical conditions and explore their potential markets.

The successful completion of this project will improve the durability and performance of PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers, significantly reducing the cost of fuel cell vehicles. This will lead to a widespread deployment of fuel cell vehicles, which will relieve the nations heavy dependence on imported oil and reduce air pollutants.