CEREI is doing cutting edge research in hydrogen energy technolygy. Our hydrogen energy projects include development of Proton Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) and hydrogen production. Our unique goal is to optimize PEMFCs energy output (fuel-to-electricity conversion performance) and improve their lifetime to ensure a marketable and affordable hydrogen energy technology.

Key research areas:

• Electrochemical synthesis and characterizations of advanced nanostructured catalysts and composite materials for Proton Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs)
• Catalysis: electrocatalytic activities of advanced platinum and non-platinum based electrode materials for the cathodic and anodic reactions in fuel cells
• Effects of synthesis techniques, catalyst chemical composition and loading on the fuel cell energy output and hydrogen generation
• Effects of particle size on the cathodic and anodic reaction kinetics in PEMFCs
• Electrodes stability and durability
• Electrochemical generation of hydrogen
• Fuel cells electrochemistry and thermodynamics

What is a fuel cell?

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that directly produces electrical energy out of chemical energy stored in a fuel. It consists of an electrolyte medium sandwiched between an anode and a cathode that catalytically enhanced oxidation and reduction reactions at their interface, respectively. Since the energy conversion process takes place electrochemically, no combustion is involved. As a result, the process is clean and more efficient at fuel conversion to end-use energy. Moreover, unlike batteries, the fuel cell is expected to generate electrical power as long as fuel is supplied. The diagram below illustrates the operating mechanism of hydrogen fuel cell which will not increase environmental contaminants as used batteries will.

Fuel cells offer alternative solutions to traditional energy sources among which we can list the followings:

• More efficient fuel-to-electricity conversion
• Utilization of by-product heat, enhancing the overall energy efficiency
• Independence from traditional energy sources
• High quality DC power and unlimited runtime
• The absence of combustion in the energy conversion process results in carbon emission-free energy system
• PEMFCs operate at relatively low temperatures (80 °C or 176 °F), and are suited for applications, such as buildings and automobiles (less warm up time)

Fuel cells are reliable and their energy output can be enhanced by increasing the number of unit cells