Research into better fuel cell materials and designs starts with studying failures

摘要

Fuel cells can be expensive and they typically don't last as long as their internal combustion counterparts. Researchers in the Georgia Tech Research Institute's (GTRI) Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies believe understanding how and why fuel cells fail is the key to both reducing cost and improving durability. Center director Tom Fuller has been trying to solve what he deems the top three durability problems: chemical attack of the membrane, carbon corrosion and platinum instability.