GINER INC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: This Phase I effort seeks to produce a conductive polyethersulfone (PES) microporous membr

GINER INC — SBIR Phase I award from National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Amount
$99,932
Agency
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Program / Phase
SBIR · Phase I
NAICS
Place of performance
MA
Period
2011-02-18 → 2011-09-29

Description

This Phase I effort seeks to produce a conductive polyethersulfone (PES) microporous membrane for fuel cell water management applications. This membrane will facilitate gas/liquid separations in regenerative fuel cells (RFC). The preferred novel approach will impart electrical conductivity to the PES itself; previous attempts at similar membrane development have only focused on applying a conductive layer to the surface of the PES membrane.This type of porous, conductive membrane would lead to improved water management for fuel cell and electrolyzer systems, and could significantly improve the performance of NASA's RFC. Such an improvement in performance could facilitate the design of smaller, lighter weight RFC systems for renewable energy storage for space applications. This project will result in the novel development of a conductive microporous membrane for NASA fuel cells and electrolyzers, and will also provide better understanding of the preparation and design of conductive membranes for other applications.