Fuel Cells Incorporating Nanomaterials in Electrode SubStratEs (FINESSE)

The objective is to demonstrate commercial readiness of a novel prototype gas diffusion layer (GDL) of a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly which is capable of being produced at a 50% lower cost than current materials. The non-woven carbon fibre substrate design comprises novel nanomaterial additives that provide suitable ex-situ properties without the requirement for conventional high energy usage high temperature heat treatment processes. Although the main thrust is a GDL designed for stationary and portable power fuel cell markets, a higher performance variant will also be explored for longer term automotive markets. The new technology will be demonstrated under application-relevant fuel cell conditions and will be coupled with a full cost analysis to show that it meets the cost reduction target. Additional benefits include establishing a UK manufacturing capability and increased UK competitiveness in lower CO2 emission energy-generation technology.