Fuel cell technology transfer from fundamental to application

Advanced fuel cell materials result from fundamental research in laboratories, and testing using the most advanced analytical tools, with the aim to get the best parameters ensuring efficient and durable properties. However, the production of real fuel cell stacks needs scaling from the laboratory to real size and to combine the materials hitherto developed in the laboratory, separately.  Such technology transfer brings new challenging tasks and its success is essential for cost-benefit evaluation of fundamental research results. The project is giving a good occasion to the group of students, each working separately on different material synthesis and analysis, which are building blocks of the emerging hydrogen fuel cell technology. Assembling of scaled electrocatalyst electrodes, bipolar plates and fuel cell stack mechanical parts to real device and testing in real conditions and evaluation of resistance to poisoning by environmental pollutant gases will represent an added value to Ph.D. research of project group members. Moreover, it would give new insights into real fuel cell technology. The main aim of the project is the assembling of a two cells open-cathode polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack with an active area of 100 cm². Later, the activity, stability, and poisoning tests will be carried out.