CAMP Professor Dan Goia Receives Research Grant to Pursue PEM Fuel Cell Studies

CAMP Professor Dan V. Goia recently received a three-year ($90,000/year) grant from OMG Inc.( a technological leader in the development and manufacturing of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts ), to conduct research geared toward the development of high performance Pt and Pt/Ru electrocatalysts for PEM fuel cells.

CAMP Professor Dan Goia

Fuel cells represent potentially the most exciting technology of the 21st century as they offer a more efficient, environmentally clean, and practically elegant way to 'extract' energy from existing fuels. PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cells are unquestionably the most promising and well-developed representatives of this new class of energy generating devices. Prototype PEM fuel cells have been already developed and successfully tested in portable equipment (laptops, phones), as well as mobile (automobiles) and stationary residential applications. The rapid technological progress in the field has attracted significant attention from the US government, which has just recently declared the development of fuel cells one of its high priorities over the next decade.

PEM fuel cells combine the oxygen from air with hydrogen gas (generated either in a remote location or 'in situ' via a catalytic reforming unit) into water and electricity. The basic element of the cell consists in two porous electrodes deposited as thin layers on both sides of a polymer membrane capable to transport protons. The key ingredients in the electrodes (and the entire fuel cell) are highly dispersed nanosize particles of platinum and /or platinum/ruthenium alloys deposited on the surface of larger carbon particles. These metallic particles provide the catalytic sites where the dissociation of hydrogen molecules and the generation of the electrons, is made possible at ambient temperatures. Given such a key role in the conversion of fuel into electricity, it is not surprising that the development (of highly efficient, long lasting metallic electrocatalysts) is one of the most important areas of research in the field of PEM fuel cells.

The development of such heterogeneous metallic catalysts will be integrated into a broader range of research activities initiated in CAMP under the direction of Professor Goia in the areas of synthesis, characterization, and modification of ultra fine and nanosize metallic particles. Besides catalysis, these materials could potentially impact many other fields of high technology including electronics, biology, and medicine.

For more information about Professor Goia and his research, you may call him at 315-268-4411 or send send email to goiadanv@clarkson.edu.

Manabu Tsujimura Completes Doctor of Engineering Degree; Will Be Visiting Professor At Clarkson

Dr. Manabu Tsujimura

Manabu Tsujimura of Ebara Technologies, Inc. (a Corporate Member of CAMP) completed a Doctor of Engineering degree. Dr. Tsujimura is the Chief Technical Officer and the Deputy Group Executive of the Precision Machinery Group at Ebara Corporation. His doctoral thesis is titled "A Study to Achieve High Performances of Wet Process Equipment for Semiconductor Device Production." In it he discusses wet process technology limits for semiconductor device production such as low resistivity, thinner barriers, and low dielectric constants. Also he describes new wet technologies, such as new cap layer plating to decrease the effective dielectric constant and CMP analysis to solve nanotopography and pro-active profile control.

Dr. Tsujimura served as a Co-Chair with CAMP Director/Vice Provost S.V. Babu and others for CAMP's International Symposia on CMP. He also served as a Co-Chair at MRS Meetings and at SEMICON WEST and SEMICON JAPAN. In addition, he will serve as a Visiting Professor at Clarkson University during the month of August 2002.