SBIR-STTR Award

Fuel cells have the potential of generating electrical power with superior energy conversion efficiency and low or zero emissions. While there are several types of fuels cells, the direct methanol fuel cell may offer the most compelling characteristics for the automobile powerplant market. However, its technical and economic viability still hinges on several advances. The main issue is that materials costs must be reduced by finding substitutes for the precious metal components in the electrocatalyst component of the fuel cell while maintaining high performance. To address this problem, this project will validate Symyx Technologies' combinatorial chemistry techniques in this area and use them to search for novel anode materials for methanol oxidation in fuel cells. This approach to materials research involves the use of fully automated technologies for the synthesis and subsequent evaluation of "libraries" containing large number of compounds. To validate the combinatorial technologies in Phase I, known anode materials will deposited on arrays of electrodes, using various proprietary techniques. A combination of parallel characterization techniques will be used to screen the arrays for electrochemical activity toward methanol oxidation. In Phase II the most successful techniques will be applied to a broad, multi-component exploration for novel anode materials.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
An eventual discovery of cheap, effective anodes will enable fuel cells to widely achieve their clean energy promise in automobiles and other applications.

The direct methal fuel cell (DMFC) could generate electrical power with high efficiency and low emissions for an automobile power plant. A low-cost, high activity methanol electro-oxidation catalyst would improve DFMC performance and enhance its economic viability. In this project, a combinatorial approach will be employed to discover DMFC catalysts that are better than current materials. The combinatorial approach consists of developing synthetic methods to rapidly prepare 64 miniature electrodes on a 3 inch silicon wafer, followed by parallel, automated evaluation of all samples on the wafer. The system offers at least a 100x increase over current techniques and provides a tool to rationally search for complex catalysts. Phase I demonstrated that DMFC electrocatalysts prepared in this manner behaved similarly to those prepared by traditional methods, and that the combinatorial methods provide a far superior and more efficient means of searching for new materials. In Phase II, a fully automated DMFC anode deposition and testing system will be constructed. Up to 25,000 new ternary and quaternary catalysts will be evaluated, and carbon monoxide poisoning studies will be performed. The best catalysts will be further evaluated in an actual DMFC environment.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
Anode materials discovered in this project could provide the breakthroughs that enable highly efficient, environmentally benign fuel cells to replace lower efficiency and higher polluting energy sources. Applications include power sources for the transportation sector, commercial power plants, military applications, space exploration, cell phones and portable computers.