Cabot Corporation has received a $5m research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The grant will be used by Cabot and its partners to support the deployment of fuel cells, which emit only water when creating electricity, according to a news release.
The project will focus on developing an innovative and scalable manufacturing process for producing specialized carbon black that can be used as carbon catalyst supports for fuel cells. This technology will support and accelerate the establishment of a domestic catalyst supply chain, by providing a reliable source of high-performance carbon catalyst support.
Cabot is the lead recipient on the project titled, “Scalable, Innovative Manufacturing Process for Novel Carbon Supports for Metal Catalysts for Medium and Heavy-Duty Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.”
Building on Cabot’s strengths in carbon black particle production and engineering, especially in developing and commercializing carbon catalyst supports for fuel cells, this project will be deployed through collaborative research with Johnson Matthey, a leading manufacturer of catalysts and associated assemblies as well as Bosch, a leading fuel cell stack manufacturer and the University of California, Irvine, a leading research university in fuel cell technology.
The project is poised to revolutionize the production of carbon catalyst supports essential for medium and heavy-duty fuel cells, aiming for a more sustainable and cost-effective manufacturing process. By developing a scalable and innovative manufacturing process, the project seeks to achieve high catalyst performance while optimizing the production process to increase process versatility, reduce production cost and minimize environmental impact.
