USC was chosen by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to become the nation's first Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) for Fuel Cells. NSF funding for the center will total $210,000 over three years.

President Sorensen said the NSF's confidence in USC researchers underscores the quality of research under way at the university.

“This marks the beginning of an important era in research at USC,” Sorensen said. “Today, leaders in science, business, industry, and government will recognize what we have known for a long time— that scientists at the University of South Carolina are among the best in the United States."

Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity, heat, and water vapor. Recognized as an environmentally friendly energy source, fuel cells have the potential to virtually eliminate air pollution. Many scientists and industry officials believe fuel cells will become a new energy source for cars and commercial power plants, thereby reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil and reducing emissions that cause pollution and affect global climate change.

Alex Schwarzkopf, lead program director for the NSF's I/UCRC, said USC has an outstanding reputation for the quality of its fuel cell research.

"USC is known for its modeling capability of fuel cells and for great research in this field," he said. "NSF considers this to be an important center because it addresses a need that has been identified by the White House as important to our nation."

USC, where fuel cell research supports more than 35 Ph.D. students, already has signed 11 industrial partners who have contributed $35,000 each.

"The center helps industry because it provides an avenue for leveraging risks in a cooperative environment to understand fuel cell behavior," said John VanZee, chemical engineering professor and director of the I/UCRC. "USC students and faculty will have the opportunity to work with industry leaders to learn about the opportunities in fuel cell technology. Industrial direction and participation, as well as cooperation by USC scientists, are essential elements of the center."

USC and its industrial partners will work to advance the technology and commercialization of fuel cells by performing research in five key areas: fuel cell design; fuel cell performance; hydrogen storage materials, devices and distribution systems; new catalysts for hydrogen production and for fuel cell electrodes; and motor design and power conditioning.

USC graduate and undergraduate students also will have the opportunity to develop expertise in these areas, Van Zee said, thereby creating the next generation of experts on fuel cell technology.

Among the fuel cell research under way at USC are projects aimed at developing improved technologies for generating and storing hydrogen. One such project is examining ways to produce hydrogen in a very pure form because hydrogen impurities can damage fuel cells. The center also is looking at what happens when fuel cells are used in the real world rather than in controlled, laboratory conditions.

06/03