This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) grant provides funding to investigate the formation mechanism of asymmetric membranes in a solvent-free fabrication approach and the water transport phenomena in such membranes, in order to develop a manufacturing process for low-cost, high-efficiency humidification systems for fuel cell vehicle applications. The asymmetric membranes will be fabricated using a roll-to-roll foaming process with non-equilibrium gas saturation and desorption. A physics-based multi-scale dynamic model for water vapor transport in porous media will be developed to guide the design of the membrane structure. A bubble growth model will be employed together with experimental studies to identify the optimal process conditions. The experiments will be conducted on a lab scale foaming apparatus that will be designed and built. The fabricated membranes will be characterized and evaluated in prototype humidifiers sized for fuel cell vehicles. This research will be conducted with close collaboration between university and industry research teams. The university team will focus on modeling and process development and the industry partner (Ford) will focus on system design and integration. If successful, the results of this research will lead to a novel manufacturing process for asymmetric membranes that are suitable for fuel cell humidification applications. They will also lead to enhanced understanding of water vapor transport phenomena in porous media. The technology developed in this work will be transferrable to the automotive industry and contribute to reducing the cost of fuel cell vehicles and improving the competitiveness of domestic manufacturers. The developed manufacturing process can also be used to fabricate membranes for many other applications, such as water purification and gas separation. In addition, this research will provide a unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to obtain experimental and analytical training in a collaborative environment with industry.
