DuPont Fuel Cells joins USC Fuel Cell Center Team

DuPont Fuel Cells has become the latest member of the University of South Carolina's NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells (NSF I/UCRC).

USC, a national leader in fuel-cell research, houses the nation's only fuel cell center sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

"Our role is to assist industry in moving toward the commercialization of fuel-cell technology and in training well-qualified engineers and scientists," said Dr. John Van Zee, director of the center. "USC has a strong, well-established faculty and research facilities in electrochemical technology, catalysis and hydrogen storage suitable for fuel-cell development."

Fuel cells may be important not just for vehicles, power tools or laptop computers but also because of spin-off technologies yet to be developed.

For six years, faculty in USC's department of chemical engineering have conducted more than $6 million in research for the U.S. Department of Energy and industrial partners to improve fuel-cell components and systems. Other center members include CD adapco Group, BASF AG, Bulk Molding Compounds Inc., DANA Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, Entegris Inc., FINNCHEM USA Inc., General Motors Corporation, John Deere ePower Technologies, Plug Power Inc., Westinghouse Savannah River Company LLC, Scribner Associates Inc., Showa Denko Carbon Sales Inc. and W.L. Gore & Associates Inc.