The Next Generation of Durable, High-Performance Components and Fuel Cells, Including Modeling, Diagnostics, and Materials Development Advancements

With the introduction of the first commercial fuel-cell vehicles, attention moves towards improving performance and durability using next-generation materials and concepts. Technological progress is being made for low and moderate temperature proton conducting and alkaline fuel cells, yet there remain issues that must be overcome to reach technical goals. Experimental and theoretical modeling work on electrodes have produced exciting results including understanding of detailed morphology, novel catalysts, and their subsequent optimizations. Next generation material sets such as alkaline exchange membranes and non PGM catalyst have made substantial progress. At the same time, new applications outside of the transportation and portable power sectors are attracting increased attention. At this GRC, an international group of scientists and engineers from industry, academia, and national laboratories will present talks and posters that focus on cutting edge developments in fuel cell research with regards to membranes, catalytic materials and electrode architectures, modeling studies, system designs, and applications. Attendees will be engaged in constructive discussions and scientific exchanges that will stimulate new ideas and facilitate new collaborations aimed at identifying and solving next-generation issues.