Faster fuel cell production

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have won a $1.6m (£1.1m)  federal grant to develop new ways to make a key component of the fuel cell.

Awarded by the US Department of Energy, the multi-year grant aims to create new processes that will allow fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) to be manufactured faster and more cost effectively.

Comprised of a stacked proton exchange membrane (PEM), catalyst and electrodes, the MEAs are the heart of a fuel cell.

’The new system we plan to develop is essentially a high-speed, high-quality assembly process for fuel cell MEAs,’ said Ray Puffer, principle investigator of the project and programme director for industrial automation at Rensselaer’s Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS).

’If successful, we anticipate this project will reduce the time it takes to make MEAs, as well as improve uniformity, reduce defects and lower manufacturing costs. The end result will be cheaper, more reliable fuel cells for everyone.’