0856055 University of South Carolina (USC); John Van Zee 0855929 University of Connecticut (UCONN); A. F. Anwar
The purpose of this proposal is to renew and expand the Center for Fuel Cells (CFC) as an NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. This proposal is based upon USC?s successful completion of five years of operation of the CFC, as a single university site; and the commitment by five companies to join a research site at the University of Connecticut. USC will be the lead research site for CFC. The proposed Center will promote collaboration between universities and their industry partners and solve problems related to commercial implementation of fuel cells. The PIs list five focus areas to help advance the technology and commercialization of Fuel Cells. The addition of UCONN expertise in solid fuel cells would add to the expertise at USC in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. The renewed and expanded Center will be successful because it builds on existing strengths developed during the first five years of operation. The Center will also educate and train researchers for industry and government.
The broader impact of the proposed center includes the importance of finding alternative fuel cell sources to fossil fuels. The proposed Center will encourage collaboration, and the research will expose students and faculty to state-of-the-art research projects of value to the industry. Students will have opportunities for industrial internships with members. The educational activities and the research participation in the Center activities will provide a diverse workforce for an innovative technology that will be part of a new economy. Over 30% of the student participants will be women or under-represented minorities. Faculty in the CFC will work with REU students to present their work at national meetings with the goal of obtaining recognition for these students.
The objective of the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) for Fuel Cells at the University of South Carolina (USC) was to help develop the capacity of the U.S. industrial enterprise in the area of hydrogen powered fuel cells, particularly for electric vehicle applications. Our Center featured high-quality, industrially relevant fundamental research with strong industrial support. Specific research strengths of our Center were to: (i) develop novel electrocatalysts that lower the cost and increase the durability of this key component of fuel cells; (ii) study the durability issues surrounding device components; and (iii) develop sophisticated mathematical models, both at the component and system level, that reduce the development time and cost of this technology. Another key objective of the I/UCRC for Fuel Cells was to help develop the next generation of scientists and engineers with a broad, industrially oriented perspective on engineering research and practice. Recognizing that this is a global development effort, we fostered international collaborations with the top hydrogen and fuel-cell research programs from throughout the world. For example, we have on-going collaborations with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research in Freiburg Germany, the Korean Institute for Energy Research, Woosuk University and the Woosuk Hydrogen Fuel Cell Regional Innovation Center in Jeollabuk-do, Korea, and Chiang Mai University and their Energy Research Development Institute-Nakornping in Thailand. These important international collaborations helped us promote the development of a diverse, globally-engaged U.S. scientific and engineering workforce.
