Achievement

A mechanical engineering student, Casey Hoffman, studying manufacturing of fuel cell electrodes, has been working with a materials engineering professor?s research group to determine the best testing methods for accurately measuring catalyst loadings. Automated manufacturing of fuel cell stack components (e.g., membrane electrode assemblies of which the electrodes are an essential part) is needed to lower costs and provide capacity for widespread adoption of fuel cells. Without the knowledge of specialized measurement approaches obtained from other fields, the manufacturing engineer would not be able to fully optimize the processes needed to speed up the laying down the catalyst and then measuring it for quality control. This interdisciplinary effort is essential for progress and is facilitated by the IGERT program.