DuPont forms fuel cell business
9 Feb 2001
DuPont has formed a fuel cell business unit to pursue growth in the emerging proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell market.
The company intends to apply its knowledge in polymer, coatings and electrochemicals technology to become a supplier of materials and components to the fuel cell market, which is expected to grow to $10 billion by the year 2010.
The formation of DuPont Fuel Cells will allow the company to develop and commercialise technologies from its Fluoroproducts, iTechnologies, Engineering Polymers, Corporate Research and Development and DuPont Canada organisations.
Last year, DuPont opened a multimillion-dollar fuel cell technology centre in Delaware that is focusing on materials technology and applications development. The company is also partnering with others in the industry to improve the capabilities, availability and economic feasibility of fuel cell technology. DuPont is focusing on PEM fuel cells used in portable, stationary and transportation applications. Initially, the company will supply materials, including DuPont Nafion perfluorinated membranes, which have been used in fuel cells for space travel for more than 35 years, as well as engineering polymers.
Over the next few years, the company intends to introduce new products to fuel cell system developers, including PEM fuel cell stack components such as membrane electrode assemblies and conductive plates. DuPont also is active in developing direct methanol fuel cell technology.
