Functional polymers are critical to the performance of electrochemical devices and play a vital role in national security applications. However, current polymer materials limit the operating conditions of fuel cells, hindering their widespread adoption in heavy-duty applications such as fuel cell trucks. This presentation highlights recent advancements at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the development of next-generation functional polymer electrolytes for fuel cells, with a focus on scale-up, manufacturing and commercialization. Additionally, the potential to extend this materials platform to other areas – such as hydrogen separation and the replacement of polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) – will be discussed.
Yu Seung Kim is a technical staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), specializing in polymeric materials for membranes and electrolytes in electrochemical devices. As an early researcher in the development of hydrocarbon polymer electrolytes for fuel cells, he has pioneered the creation of ion-pair membranes for fuel cells and electrochemical hydrogen pumps. Currently, his research focuses on anion exchange membrane fuel cells/electrolyzers, high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells/hydrogen pumps, and alternative materials for perfluoroalkyl substances.
Dr. Kim earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in 1999, specializing in polymer engineering. He conducted postdoctoral research in the Chemistry Department at Virginia Tech, focusing on polymer synthesis until 2003. He then undertook a second postdoctoral position in the Materials Synthesis and Intergraded Devices group at LANL, concentrating on the electrochemistry of fuel cell materials. After two and a half years of postdoctoral research at LANL, he was appointed a staff scientist in the same group in 2005.
Dr. Kim has received several awards, including the Tech to Market Special Recognition from the DOE Assistant Secretary in 2014, the Distinguished R&D Award from the US DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies program in 2016, the Inventor of the Year Award from Battelle Research Institute in 2023 and the Walter Van Schalkwijk Award from the Electrochemical Society. He has authored over 130 publications (h-index 72), delivered more than 250 presentations (70 invited), and holds over thirty patents, with nine patents licensed.