High Temperature, Low Relative Humidity Polymer-Type Membranes

The summary for the High Temperature, Low Relative Humidity Polymer-Type Membranes grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Headquarters, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

High Temperature, Low Relative Humidity Polymer-Type Membranes: The Department of Energys Golden Field Office invites applicants to develop high temperature, low relative humidity polymer electrolyte type membrane materials suitable for use in a polymer electrolyte type hydrogen membrane fuel cell. Development of alternative materials with performance at 120/degrees/C and 25 to 50 percent relative humidity exceeding that of Nafion (R) (at 80/degrees/C and 100 percent relative humidity) is desired. Current polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) used in fuel cells depend on the presence of water to obtain high proton conductivity. Therefore, fuel cells based on these membranes are limited to operating temperatures of 60 to 80/degrees/C and require external humidification to maintain optimum performance. Maintaining these temperatures under automotive conditions, especially at peak power, requires oversized cooling equipment. In addition, the humidification requirements add increased volume, weight, and complexity to the system. These issues would be reduced or eliminated if the fuel cell could be operated at higher temperatures (approximately 120/degrees/C) and at lower humidity. Additional benefits of operation at elevated temperatures and reduced humidity are a reduction in the occurrence of cathode flooding at peak power, and a possible improvement in cell performance due to increased rate of the oxygen reduction reaction. If the pressure of the system is increased, adequate humidification can be achieved during high temperature operation, however, this leads to significantly reduced lifetimes and system efficiencies. High temperature, low humidity membranes are expected to improve thermal management and ease or eliminate the need for membrane water management in automotive systems. Higher temperature operation will also aid in achieving success in combined heat and power applications for stationary fuel cells. Membranes that conduct protons at low relative humidity (RH) (i.e., 25 to 50 percent RH) and temperatures ranging from room temperature to 120/degrees/C have been identified as critical components in achieving system targets for automotive fuel cell applications. Based on the early stage of development of such membranes, this Announcement seeks innovative research leading to new candidate materials.