Fuel cells

The group has a general interest in fuel cells, in particular with respect to the various types of electrolyte membranes used, and also some catalyst development work.

On the experimental side, we are actively developing new membrane materials through the collaboration with IITB and the research of Wasim Feroze Gooty Saleha.

We are also exploring new bi and tri-component catalysts for low temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, primarily through the PhD project of Naresh Nalajala.

Finally, we are actively developing new models for the direct ethanol fuel cell, using both proton exchange and alkaline membranes. These are solved using COMSOL Multiphysics by Ben Weereratne. Some more details on that work follows.

Fuel cells provide a more efficient method of converting chemical energy to electrical energy compared to conventional combustion techniques. Significant research has been aimed at developing hydrogen fuel cells however there are inherent problems in the commercial production of hydrogen and its storage. 

Ethanol is being considered as an ideal alternative fuel for fuel cell systems. Ethanol has already been established as a sustainable fuel, most of which is the produced by the fermentation of natural sugars like those found in sugarcane. 

These fuel cells are of particular interest in Australia as they have the potential to supply electricity to remote areas and decentralize local energy supplies. 

Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFCs) have been limited by poor performance. This study investigates DEFCs using a highly capable multi-physics modeling approach. Simultaneous and rigorous modelling of mass and energy transport has been performed on fuel cell stacks with detailed analysis on anion and proton exchange membranes and their adjacent catalyst layers. This work has been conducted within a larger framework of membrane research.