Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell sector accounts for the largest share of world commercial demand for fuel cells, a sector that will increase considerably over the next 5 years. Canadian-based technology manufacturers account for a disproportionally large share of this market but competition is growing. To remain competitive, fuel cell manufacturers must reduce materials costs. Much is focused on lowering Pt requirements, ultimately, removing them altogether. Nonetheless, complementary challenges exist that require a re-design of the materials that constitute the heart of the fuel cell, i.e., the membrane-electrode assembly. The current technical standard of choice for the proton exchange membrane (PEM) and for the solid electrolyte in the catalyst layer are the family of perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomers. Despite its ubiquitousness it is costly and requires the use of controlled and dangerous monomers, and it suffers from a loss of conductivity at low relative humidity and/or elevated temperatures. Alternative materials that do not possess perfluorinated polymer backbones are required for a long term solution to mass production of fuel cell devices. A solution to this problem also requires complementary examination and re-design of the catalyst layer - the proton conducting polymer in the catalyst layer that transfers protons between the nanocatalyst and the proton exchange membrane - which plays a significant role in fuel cell operation.This proposal addresses the challenge of developing proton conducting media that do not require the use of polymer backbones possessing much lower fluorine content, and which are sufficiently versatile to be viable candidates to replace existing perfluorinated materials. The proposal focuses on researching the synthesis and development of a class of materials known as the polyarylene ethers bearing fluorosulfonic acid. The proposal partners the materials science and fuel cell expertise at Simon Fraser University, with internationally-leading, materials scientists at CNRS and CEA, and the fuel cell expertise at Automotive Fuel Cell Collaboration Corp.