The Fall Luncheon and Recognition of 50-Year Members
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Elephant Bar Restaurant
521 Firestone Road, Goleta
The Featured Speaker will be
Prof. Steven K. Buratto
Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of California,Santa Barbara
Speaking on
Reduction of Pt Loading in PEM Fuel Cells with Electrochemical Pulse Deposition through Nafion
Abstract
Proton exchange membranes such as Nafion are used as electrolytes in methanol and hydrogen fuel cells. Proton transport from the anode to the cathode takes place through the hydrophilic channels. To participate in electricity production, these channels must satisfy two conditions: they must provide a continuous pathway from the anode to the cathode, and they must have a catalyst at both ends. Since the cost of Pt and Pt/Ru catalysts is high,it would be beneficial to place the catalyst only near channels that traverse the membrane. We have shown that this can be done by depositing Pt particles electrochemically through the Nafion membrane. Our fuel cells produced via electrodeposition through the Nafion membrane achieve nearly 67% of the performance of the commercial cell with only 1.58 m g/cm2 Pt; a reduction in Pt loading of more than a 100-fold. I will discuss our work to improve the performance of devices fabricated using electrochemical pulse deposition.
Full Abstract can be found here.
Dr. Buratto obtained his B.S. from the University of Puget Sound and his Ph.D. in 1992 from CalTech. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the AT&T bell Laboratories for two years before joining the UCSB faculty in 1994. Since coming to UCSB, Dr. Buratto has received a Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award as well as a NSF Early Career Development Award.
The cost for the event will be $25 per person, $15 for students.
Members of more than 50 years in ACS are invited to attend at a discounted rate of $15 per person.
A lunch buffet will be served including Tri-Tip, BBQ Chicken, and Mediterranean Pasta (Vegetarian).
Please return the form with your payment by Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Flyer can be seen by following this link