Technical Advancement of Fuel-Cell Research and Development

I 7 Technical Advancement of Fuel-Cell Research and Development... 

The editors would like to thank the participants in the 2006 IMAPS Fuel Cell Advanced Technical Workshop for their support and dedication to the education of engineers and professionals working in the electronic areas of fuel cell research and development. Without their efforts this book would not have been possible. 

The initiatives taken by these companies would have been delayed except for the technical advances made by a single company, the importance of which became apparent only in the 1990s the Ballard Company of Vancouver, British Columbia, and research led by D. P. Wilkinson. German, Japanese, and finally U.S. automakers turned to this company (which had demonstrated a full-sized electrochemically powered bus in 1995) for the development of fuel cells for their cars. 

Stack Components In collaboration with partners, research and develop technologies to overcome the most critical technical hurdles for polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack components for both stationary and transportation applications. Critical technical hurdles include cost, durability, efficiency, and overall performance of components such as the proton exchange membranes, oxygen reduction electrodes, advanced catalysts, bipolar plates, etc. 

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