The focus of this workshop is to define the fundamental technical issues critical for the development of low-temperature fuel cells. The workshop is scheduled to take place during November, 2001 at the National Science Foundation. The collective expertise of the group will identify feasible approaches to improved understanding and to establish an agenda for basic engineering research that will address these needs. The fuel-cell industry may have a significant impact on the consumer market in the future, playing a role wherever electrical power is needed. Although theoretically capable of high efficiency, the catalyst and transport processes limit actual performance. Engineering challenges of integrating and controlling the fuel-cell system (fuel processor, fuel cell, and power conditioning) must be overcome, especially for transient operation. Areas to be addressed include electrodes, membranes, fuel storage and conversion, and modeling. The basic sciences that support fuel-cell development are varied and require an interdisciplinary approach. Fuel cells have the potential to provide a clean source of electrical power for household, industrial, and transportation applications. A report defining the fundamental scientific and engineering issues along with research approaches will be prepared.
