Novel, Durable Supports for Low- PGM Catalysts for PEM Fuel Cells. This subtopic seeks approaches that address support performance and chemical and structural stability by development of novel carbon-based or non-carbon support compositions and/or structures.

The focus of this subtopic is novel catalyst support research with the potential to improve catalyst performance and durability, especially under transient operating conditions, while decreasing cost. DOE is specifically seeking research and development on novel supports for low-PGM catalysts.

Concepts should possess appropriate properties such as high surface area, high protonic/electronic conductivities, and facile reactant/product transport. Catalyst deposition and stable anchoring of the catalyst on the support should be discussed. Possible effects of the support on the catalytic activity through modified dispersion or through catalyst-support interactions should be described. Applicants should clearly state the status of their current catalyst support technology as it relates to the state-of-the- art and provide sufficient justification that the approach has the potential to meet or exceed relevant DOE targets, including performance at high power density in air, durability, and cost.

Metal Hydride Materials for Compression. This subtopic seeks approaches to develop a technique that will enable high throughput discovery of metal hydrides for high-pressure hydrogen compression.

Reversible metal hydride materials have great potential to improve the reliability of compressors at hydrogen refueling stations at reasonable cost, but are challenged by efficiency. To achieve the pressures of interest at refueling stations (875 bar), metal hydrides typically require heating well above 100°C as well as substantial cooling to temperatures ranging from 20 to -10°C. Few materials are capable of such pressures, and many are significantly impacted by hysteresis effects that diminish their performance over time. Even at pressures below 200 bar, the efficiency of metal hydride compression is significantly lower than that of mechanical compression.

Research is needed in the discovery of new metal hydride materials for high-pressure compression. Combinatorial approaches to materials discovery have been extremely productive in the study of metal hydrides for hydrogen storage applications. Such approaches have included molecular modeling with new force fields, high throughput synthesis apparatuses, and novel high throughput screening techniques with conventional tools. Phase I proposals are sought to develop a technique that will enable high throughput discovery of metal hydrides for high-pressure hydrogen compression. This includes both high throughput combinatorial synthesis and high throughput characterization. High throughput characterization techniques designed in Phase I should be capable of predicting or evaluating materials’ pressure- composition-temperature (PCT) curves, and support the development of predictive models.