University of California

Los Alamos National Security, LLC

David A Langlois

Yu Seung Kim

Brian C Benicewicz

Elliot P Douglas

A process for rejuvenating fuel cells has been demonstrated to improve the performance of polymer exchange membrane fuel cells with platinum/ionomer electrodes. The process involves dehydrating a fuel cell and exposing at least the cathode of the fuel cell to dry gas (nitrogen, for example) at a temperature higher than the operating temperature of the fuel cell. The process may be used to prolong the operating lifetime of an automotive fuel cell.

Rejuvenation of automotive fuel cells

The present invention provides (1) curable bispropargyl-containing monomers represented by the formula: B.sup.1 --A.sup.1.sub.m --R--A.sup.2.sub.n --B.sup.2 wherein R is a radical selected from the group consisting of 1,4-phenylene, 4,4'-biphenyl, 2,6-naphthalene, --C.sub.6 H.sub.4 --CR.sup.2 .dbd.CR.sup.2 --C.sub.6 H.sub.4 -- wherein R.sup.2 is H or CH.sub.3, and the same where said groups contain one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo, nitro, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, fluoroalkyl or fluoroalkoxy, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 are selected from the group consisting of --C.sub.6 H.sub.4 --C(O)--O-- and --C.sub.6 H.sub.4 --O--C(O)--, m and n are 0 or 1, m+n is 0, 1 or 2, and B.sup.1 and B.sup.2 are --OCH.sub.2 --C.tbd.C--H, (2) thermoset compositions comprised of cured segments derived from monomers represented by the formula: B.sup.1 --A.sup.1.sub.m --R--A.sup.2.sub.n --B.sup.2 as described above, and (3) curable blends of at least two of the monomers.

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Los Alamos, NM, United States of America

David A Langlois