46th CEMS Colloquium
Speaker
Prof. TakeoYamaguchi (Tokyo Institute of Technology)
Date
17:30 - 18:30, January 25, 2017 (Wednesday)
Venue
Okochi-Hall, RIKEN
Title
Systematic Material Design for Fuel Cell Technologies
Abstract
In the current state-of-the-art technology, the conversion efficiency of fossil fuels to work remains lower; while polymer-electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) represent a superior system that exhibits portability and high-efficiency, offering better power generation, meeting the desired levels of demand. However, in order to facilitate widespread use of fuel cells, cost and lifetime problems must be resolved. Solid alkaline fuel cells (SAFCs) are another system that holds the potential to achieve high-energy conversion efficiency without Pt catalysts. Although most of metal catalysts can be used under alkaline environment, development of durable electrolyte membranes in alkaline media is the key for this technology. We are systematically designing and developing new materials from the molecular level to the device level. In the fuel cell systems, different components such as membrane, catalysts, and catalyst layer share significant functions and work in a well-coordinated manner, and hence, the total cell system must be optimized for the best performance. The systematic design and developing approaches concerning PEFCs and SAFCs are proposing. Specifically, porous Pt alloy capsules for carbon free catalysts and durable anion-exchange membranes are developed based on the approach.
