The US National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a Phase II SBIR grant to Synkera Technologies for the development of advanced membranes for hydrogen separation
Such membranes will have better performance, greater reliability and lower cost than current state-of-the-art purification techniques and will target hydrogen purification in fuel cells as well as in other point-of-use hydrogen applications.
Among the different fuel cell technologies, PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cells appear to be one of the leading candidates for widespread use in several high volume applications.
PEM fuel cells are very sensitive to contaminations, and need a high purity hydrogen stream to assure reliability and long life.
Membrane separation is a one of the most promising routes for hydrogen purification in fuel cells.
Commonly used palladium foil membranes are expensive due to the large amount of palladium used and require extra pressure (thus, extra power) to 'push' hydrogen across thick foil.
On the other hand, thin film supported Pd membranes suffer from a short lifetime due to embrittlement and failure when thermally cycled as in a typical fuel cell environment, and cannot be effectively scaled up to the sizes required.
These shortcomings limit the range of power levels and applications of PEM fuel cells and need to be rectified if fuel cells are to become a viable alternative energy source.
With NSF support, Synkera is utilising the company's expertise in nanotechnology and advanced materials to develop novel composite membranes that are more robust, more permeable and more selective to hydrogen, have greater reliability in a broad temperature range and utilize less palladium, thereby making them less expensive.
Synkera membranes are low profile and have a metal rim that makes membrane sealing - a challenge for many other existing membranes - very easy.
This feature facilitates membrane integration into the fuel cell, expands design opportunities and reduces failures.
Synkera's membrane technology targets current challenges in the delivery of pure hydrogen for PEM fuel cells by increasing their power density, expanding the range of their applications and improving their overall economic viability.
Synkera Technologies, based in Longmont, Colorado, develops and manufactures products utilising nanotechnology, microfabrication and advanced materials engineering.
