Full and Open Competition after exclusion of sources
Major Defense Program
Not listed
Pricing Type
Firm Fixed Price
Place of Performance
Auburndale, MA 02466, USA
Solicitation Procedures
Negotiated Proposal / Quote
Number Of Offers Received
4
Legislative Mandate
Not listed
National Interest Action
Not listed
Research Type
SBIR Program Phase I Action
Primary Consortia Member
Not listed
THIS PHASE I EFFORT SEEKS TO PRODUCE A CONDUCTIVE POLYETHERSULFONE (PES) MICROPOROUS MEMBRANE FOR FUEL CELL WATER MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS. THIS MEMBRANE WILL FACILITATE GAS/LIQUID SEPARATIONS IN REGENERATIVE FUEL CELLS (RFC). THE PREFERRED NOVEL APPROACH WILL IMPART ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY TO THE PES ITSELF; PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT SIMILAR MEMBRANE DEVELOPMENT HAVE ONLY FOCUSED ON APPLYING A CONDUCTIVE LAYER TO THE SURFACE OF THE PES MEMBRANE. THIS TYPE OF POROUS, CONDUCTIVE MEMBRANE WOULD LEAD TO IMPROVED WATER MANAGEMENT FOR FUEL CELL AND ELECTROLYZER SYSTEMS, AND COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF NASA'S RFC. SUCH AN IMPROVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE COULD FACILITATE THE DESIGN OF SMALLER, LIGHTER WEIGHT RFC SYSTEMS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY STORAGE FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN THE NOVEL DEVELOPMENT OF A CONDUCTIVE MICROPOROUS MEMBRANE FOR NASA FUEL CELLS AND ELECTROLYZERS, AND WILL ALSO PROVIDE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PREPARATION AND DESIGN OF CONDUCTIVE MEMBRANES FOR OTHER APPLICATIONS.