Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) Automotive Fuel Cells
- Novel Membranes
- Novel Gas Diffusion Layers
- Novel bipolar plate designs
- Durability studies of membranes under hygrothermal cycling
- Development of mechanistic models for membrane durability
- Modeling of membranes for freeze tolerance
- Simultaneous optical and neutron visualization of operating PEM fuel cells
- XPS investigation of catalyst degradation during fuel cell operation
- Complete fuel cell system modeling and simulation
Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC) Fuel Cells for Portable Power
- Novel catalysts
- Novel membranes
- Novel porous metal flow fields
- Novel control strategies for peak performance
- Methanol transport and reaction kinetics in DMFCs
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) Fuel Cells for Stationary Power
- Novel SOFC electrolytes for increased oxide conductivity
- Sputtered nanocomposite and nanoporous electrodes
- Combinatorial optimization of SOFC cathodes
Fuel Cell Vehicle Modeling, Design, and Demonstration
- The UD Fuel Cell Bus Program
- A Matlab/Simulink model for fuel cell hybrid vehicle design
- A cell voltage monitoring system for real time fuel cell stack diagnostic tool
- Supersonic variable flow ejector for energy efficient hydrogen circulation
- Real time data acquisition and analysis
Hydrogen Production and Storage
- Solar-powered two-step thermochemical cycles for H2
- Photo-electro-chemical methods for H2
- Photo-biological methods for H2
- Hydrogen storage systems using solid-state H2 storage materials
Past and Current Projects
- Novel PEM membranes for improved freeze-tolerance
- SPEEK membranes for reduced methanol crossover
- Effect of cyclical hygrothermal loading on polymer fuel cell membranes
- Mechanics of freeze-thaw in polymer fuel cell membranes
- Novel Tungsten Carbide catalysts to replace Platinum in DMFC applications
- Novel corrosion resistant catalyst supports based on TiO2 and carbon nanotubes
- Nano-engineered electrodes for PEM fuel cells
- Novel metallic GDLs for improved durability and performance
- Materials development for thin film solid oxide fuel cells
- Water management: simultaneous optical and neutron imaging of operations PEM fuel cells
- Degradation studies of the catalyst layer using XPS
- Optimal methanol feed concentration in DMFCs using cell voltage as feedback
- Genetic algorithms coupled with computational models of PEM fuel cells for rapid design optimization
- Synthesis and evaluation of electrocatalysts for fuel cells and hydrogen production
- In-house fuel cell fabrication and extensive testing facilities
- SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, NMR, EIS, and other mechanical and thermal characterization facilities
- Matlab/Simulink fuel cell bus simulator for cost effective hybrid design studies
- Cell voltage monitoring system for real time fuel cell stack diagnostics
- Renewable methods for hydrogen production based on thermochemical, photoelectrochemical and biological water splitting
- Novel solid-state materials for hydrogen storage with high gravimetric efficiency
