NSF selects USC for nation's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells

The National Science Foundation has selected the University of South Carolina's College of Engineering and Information Technology to help lead the nation's fuel cell research initiative and develop technology to commercialize the use of fuel cells by industry.

USC officials announced Monday (June 16) that the university will be the nation's first Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) for Fuel Cells. NSF funding for the center will total $210,000 over three years.

USC President Andrew Sorensen said the NSF's confidence in the ability of USC researchers to lead the nation's fuel-cell initiative underscores the quality of research under way at the university.

"I am pleased that our faculty in USC's College of Engineering and Information Technology will become partners with many of the nation's top businesses and industries to move fuel-cell research forward," Sorensen said.

"The selection of USC to house the National Science Foundation's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells marks the beginning of an important era in research at USC. Today, leaders in science, business, industry and government will recognize what we have known for a long time: that scientists at the University of South Carolina are among the best in the United States," Sorensen said.

Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity, heat and water vapor. Recognized as an environmentally friendly energy source, fuel cells have the potential virtually to eliminate air pollution. Many scientists and industry officials believe fuel cells will become a new energy source for cars and commercial power plants, thereby reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil and reducing emissions that cause pollution and affect global climate change.

Alex Schwarzkopf, lead program director for the NSF's I/UCRC, said USC has an outstanding reputation for the quality of its fuel-cell research.

"USC is known for its modeling capability of fuel cells and for great research in this field," he said. "NSF considers this to be an important center because it addresses a need that has been identified by the White House as important to our nation."

In his State of the Union address in January, President Bush described hydrogen-powered automobiles as an example of innovation and technology to protect the environment and announced federal support for fuel-cell research.

"With a new national commitment, our scientists and engineers will overcome obstacles to taking these cars from laboratory to showroom, so that the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen, and pollution free," Bush said.

The president's call for research to develop hydrogen fuel puts USC in a key position in this effort.

"NSF expects the new Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers for Fuel Cells to be a vital contributor to meeting the goals of this initiative," Schwarzkopf said.

USC, where fuel-cell research supports more than 35 Ph.D. students, already has signed 11 industrial partners who have contributed $35,000 each. The strength of the NSF's I/UCRC program comes from the long-term partnerships developed among the university, its member industries and government – each conducting research relevant to the partners.

"The center helps industry because it provides an avenue for leveraging risks in a cooperative environment to understand fuel cell behavior," said Dr. John Van Zee, a USC professor of chemical engineering and director of the I/UCRC. "USC students and faculty will have the opportunity to work with industry leaders to learn about the opportunities in fuel-cell technology. Industrial direction and participation, as well as cooperation by USC scientists, are essential elements of the center."

USC and its industrial partners will work to advance the technology and commercialization of fuel cells by performing research in five key areas -- fuel-cell design; fuel-cell performance; hydrogen storage materials, devices and distribution systems; new catalysts for hydrogen production and for fuel-cell electrodes; and motor design and power conditioning.

USC graduate and undergraduate students also will have the opportunity to develop expertise in these areas, Van Zee said, thereby creating the next generation of experts on fuel-cell technology.

Among the fuel-cell research under way at USC are projects aimed at developing improved technologies for generating and storing hydrogen. One such project is examining ways to produce hydrogen in a very pure form because hydrogen impurities can damage fuel cells. The center also is looking at what happens when fuel cells are used in the real world rather than in controlled, laboratory conditions.

Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) for Fuel Cells

Grant -- USC's College of Engineering and Information Technology has received a three-year, $210,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells. This grant supplements $1.2 million in industrial membership dues over the same period.

Fuel Cells -- Fuel cells are an advanced technology for converting energy. Fuel cells have the potential virtually to eliminate air pollution that puts human health at risk; to reduce emissions that can lead to global climate change; and to dramatically lower U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

The Future of Fuel Cells -- Scientists believe fuel cells are a promising alternative to the internal-combustion engine. Fuel cells also could be used to power homes and to generate electricity at commercial power plants. More immediate uses of fuel-cell technology may be in cell phones and battery rechargers, as well as desktop and laptop computers.

USC Researchers -- Dr. John W. Van Zee, a USC professor of chemical engineering, is director of the NSF's I/UCRC for Fuel Cells at USC. Other USC scientists include Dr. Michael D. Amiridis, Dr. Thomas A. Davis, Dr. Manuel Esayian, Dr. Francis A. Gadala-Maria, Dr. Woo-Kum Lee, Dr. Michael A. Matthews, Dr. Branko .N. Popov, Dr. James Anthony Ritter, Dr. Sirivatch Shimpalee, Dr. John W. Weidner, Dr. Christopher T. Williams, all from USC's department of chemical engineering; Dr. Jerry L. Hudgins, Dr. Stephen Richard McNeill, Dr. Dean James Patterson and Dr. David Neville Rocheleau, all from USC's department of electrical engineering; and Dr. Walter A. Scrivens of USC's department of chemistry and biochemistry.

Industry Partners -- The 11 industrial partners of the center's Industrial Advisory Board include CD adapco, BASF AG, Bulk Molding Compounds Inc., Dana Corp., Eastman Chemical Co., Entegris Inc., John Deere ePower Technologies, Plug Power Inc., Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Showa Denko Carbon Sales Inc. and W.L. Gore & Associates Inc.

Fuel-Cell Research Areas at USC -- The five key fuel-cell research areas at USC are 1) fuel-cell design; 2) fuel-cell performance; 3) hydrogen storage materials, devices and distribution systems; 4) new catalysts for hydrogen production and the fuel-cell electrodes; and 5) motor design and power conditioning.

Economic Impact -- A report of the Industrial Electrolytic Industries in The Journal of the Electrochemical Society (2001) estimates that fuel cells have a potential $10 billion economic impact on the United States.