| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S80455/01 |
| Title: |
Mechanisms of proton conduction in minimally hydrated ion-containing polymers |
| Principal Investigator: |
Elliott, Professor JA |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Materials Science & Metallurgy |
| Organisation: |
University of Cambridge |
| Scheme: |
First Grant Scheme Pre-FEC |
| Starts: |
01 March 2004 |
Ends: |
30 April 2006 |
Value (£): |
121,517
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Fuel Cell Technologies |
Heat & Mass Transfer |
| Materials Characterisation |
Materials Synthesis & Growth |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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The development of efficient fuel cells, powered by hydrogen and generating pure water as their waste product, promises to displace current petroleumbased technologies, such as the internal combustion engine, and could lead to a future in which toxic emissions from vehicles or power plants are eliminated from dense urban settlements or sensitive rural environments. However, in order for this objective to be realised, there are some important technological problems to be solved that involve understanding water and ion transport through the polymer membrane that sits at the heart of all fuel cell designs. Like a biological membrane around a cell, this allows a controlled flow of ions from which power can be extracted whilst preventing the raw components from mixing. In cells, it is known that there are certain proteins that can conduct small ions very efficiently across the membrane. In this project, we seek to understand the fundamental mechanisms of such ion transport so that we can design membranes that will function many times more efficiently than current materials. As well as being scientifically interesting in their own right, the answers to such questions should lead very quickly to improvements in fuel cell technology.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
http://www.elliotts.org.uk |
| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.cam.ac.uk |