Ithaca College

Kristina Hugar '06 will be presenting on Tuesday, November 18th, at 4:15 p.m. in CNS 333 titled:  “Design of Base-Stable Organic Cations for Use in Anion Exchange Membranes in Alkaline Fuel Cells ”.

The environmental and financial implications of a continued dependence on fossil fuels have expedited research efforts to improve alternative methods of generating energy. Fuel cells have emerged as attractive candidates due to their high energy density and because they produce energy more cleanly and efficiently than conventional sources. Although hydrogen fuel cells have found many commercial successes, widespread production is limited by the prohibitive cost and limited durability of the membrane and electrodes. Fortunately, expensive noble-metal catalysts can be avoided by operating under basic conditions and these alkaline fuel cells (AFCs) enable the design of platinum-free devices with notably reduced costs. Advancement in this area of research is contingent upon developing alkaline anion exchange membranes (AAEMs), which are polymer electrolytes with cationic moieties covalently linked to the backbone. To surpass the properties of existing membranes, new generations of polymers must exhibit 1) sufficient hydroxide conductivity, 2) mechanical strength and 3) excellent chemical stability under operating conditions. Our group is interested in synthesizing organic cations with exceptional base stability and incorporating them into chemically inert polymer supports to produce AAEMs that outperform existing examples.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Maria Russell at mrussell@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3238. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.