Development and implementation of new solutions for proton exchange membrane fuel cells improvement

Finance Agreement no. 602/03.10.2005

   The topic of the project is the improvement of fuel cells with regard on an extended durability and an improved aging behavior. Thereby we will focus our research on the two types of fuel cells (PEM and DMFC) with a power of 1kW in order to reduce the degrees of freedom due to the variety of different types and designs. The tests of fuel cells will be done applying a realistic profile of power consumption which are e.g. rapid changes of the power profile (accelerating and breaking in case of an automotive application) and repeated start/shut down cycles as appear e.g. in portable systems.
   The main activity concerns characterization of the single cells and stacks operating under transotory conditions. In this frame, is examinated the components degradation and aging effects, the results being applied to improve life cycle and overall reduced degradation behavior. The project it is proposed for duration of 36 month, the aims and targets being on a very ambitious level.