<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><b><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Materials Challenges
in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells</span></font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></font></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Frank DiSalvo</b>, Cornell University </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tuesday, April 6</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>4:15 PM</b> – Reception to follow </p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=66">66-110</a> (Landau Building, 25 Ames Street) </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Abstract<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Fuel cells are the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">only</b>
technology that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">theoretically</i> can
convert chemical energy to electrical energy at nearly 100% efficiency. This compares
to about 35 % efficient for the average power plant and perhaps 25-30 % for
transportation vehicles. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Yet many barriers remain to realizing the full promise of
fuel cell technology, especially for automotive applications. The main barrier
is that the materials used in the heart of the fuel cell (the electrodes and
membranes) are not up to the job. They are too expensive and have poor
durability. Finally relatively few fuels can be directly used in the cells. </p><p class="MsoNormal">This presentation will focus on the challenge to find better
electrode catalysts and catalyst supports. Catalysts are easily poisoned and/or
have low activity. If nearly ideal catalysts can be found, then fuel cell
technology has a much better chance to transform the way we use energy and to greatly
increase the efficiency of the process. Current catalyst supports are based on
carbon blacks, but corrode too rapidly. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>In this seminar, we will discuss the research at the Energy
Materials Center at Cornell (EMC2) that is directed at addressing the above
challenges. </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">About the Speaker </b></p><p class="MsoNormal">The John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science at Cornell,
Frank DiSalvo is the co-director of the Center for Future Energy Systems and
the Cornell Fuel Cell Institute, as well as a member of the National Academy of
Sciences and a fellow of the American Physical Society and Materials Research
Society. He serves on the Department of Energy's Basic Energy Science Advisory
Committee and has authored or co-authored more than 450 professional papers. </p><p class="MsoNormal">DiSalvo received his B.S. in physics from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in 1966 and his Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford
University in 1971, following which he joined the research staff at AT&T
Bell Laboratories (now Lucent Technologies), where he later headed several
research departments. He joined Cornell¿s chemistry department (now the
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology) in 1986.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></body></html>