The FCDDL is currently funded by a variety of sponsors from industry and government sources. Major automotive manufacturers and material suppliers form the core support of the lab, with additional support from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and various other sponsors.
Current Research Initiatives:
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Freeze/Thaw of PEFCs
The FCDDL began a multi-year research initiative to visualize, quantify, understand, and model freeze/thaw phenomena and related degradation in PEFCs. Ongoing research involves a wide-range of technologies including neutron imaging, direct visualization, computational modeling, and a multitude of materials analysis techniques.
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Neutron Imaging of PEFCs
Since 2002, the FCDDL has been funded from various sources to team with the Neutron Imaging and Radiation Science and Engineering Center at the Penn State Breazeale Nuclear Reactor to provide a unique facility to visualize water formation and motion inside fuel cells from a small, single channel, to a full size 500 cm2 capability. Facilities for 3-D computed tomography to visualize and quantify liquid and frozen water directly in the diffusion media and flow channel are under construction, along with expanded temperature control to enable freeze-thaw testing.
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Direct Visualization of PEFCs
The FCDDL recently began a multi-year program funded by the NSF to directly visualize and quantify liquid water fluid dynamics in micro-channels and through the diffusion media for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell and hydrogen PEFC applications.
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Fuel Cell Dynamics
All diagnostics developed by the FCDDL have a unique real-time capability. These are being combined to study the actual current, species, and impedance dynamics of the PEFC under realistic load cycling, a condition quite different than typically studied fuel cell statics. Results are being incorporated into models developed to describe operation under these conditions for fuel cell online control.
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Low-Humidity Operation
The FCDDL is applying an array of distributed species, current, temperature, and HFR sensing diagnostics to study and model low-humidity PEFC operation. Optimized low humidity operation with minimal degradation is critical to achieve reasonable system requirements for portable and automotive applications.
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Direct Alcohol and Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
The FCDDL has several years experience in development of advanced DMFC and DAFC designs for portable power applications. Research is ongoing.
 
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Thermal and Mass Transport Parameter Characterization
The online species and temperature diagnostics that have been developed at the FCDDL are being applied to determine more accurate transport parameters for mass and heat in the diffusion media.
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Degradation Diagnosis and Prognosis
The FCDDL and is developing online, in situ sensors to detect and quantify long-term failure modes (such as catalyst migration and degradation or pinhole formation) at an early stage so that mitigation strategies can be applied to prolong life. These sensors utilize tools of symbolic dynamics and the dynamic response of the fuel cell to external stimulus to rapidly quantify the long-term degradation level. This technology has recently been applied to develop a precise Online Carbon Monoxide Poison Sensor to accurately quantify CO poisoning to the ppm level. This enables a much more robust fuel cell system and eliminates expensive CO sensor hardware.
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Continued Development of Advanced Diagnostics
The FCDDL is constantly developing advanced diagnostics to measure important fuel cell phenomena. Current examples include MEMS-based thermal sensors and flow sensing to determine local diffusion media bypass. We are also always interested in teaming with other partners who seek to apply new technology to PEFCs.
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