  This paper presents new results which may constitute a breakthrough in the
effort to develop fuel cells truly suitable for use in cars and trucks. For
decades, researchers have known that the alkaline fuel cell (AFC) is much
cheaper to make, more efficient and more durable than the more popular PEM fuel
cell; however, "carbon poisoning" (either from CO2 in air or from contaminants
in reformed methanol) causes big problems in the kind of oxygen-hydrogen AFC
commonly used in space. This paper reports successful tests of a technique for
coating the electrodes with polystyrene which, in conjunction with older
common-sense techniques, appears to solve the problem. This kind of design is
applicable to cars run on hydrogen fuel, on reformed methanol or even direct
methanol. Developing a test methodology was a major part of the work. A
foreword by one of the sponsors at NSF discusses the larger importance of this
work for energy security and the environment.
