Yu Seung Kim, a materials scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, has been awarded the Energy Technology Division Walter van Schalkwijk Award in Sustainable Energy Technology by the Electrochemical Society (ECS) for his contributions to fuel cell innovation. Kim’s research has significantly advanced the performance of high-temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells, allowing them to operate efficiently at elevated temperatures without the need for bulky radiators and air intakes.
Kim’s work, validated through theoretical and experimental studies, has garnered attention for its potential to shape the Department of Energy’s fuel cell research and development roadmap. His team’s development of polymer electrolytes has shown a 60% increase in fuel cells’ power density with minimal degradation compared to conventional HT-PEM fuel cells.
Additionally, Kim’s projects have received funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and support from the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office “L’Innovator” program. This support has allowed Advent Technologies to establish a new factory in Massachusetts to manufacture membrane electrode assemblies for fuel cells.
Kim, who joined Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2003, holds 30 patents or patent applications and has been recognized as Los Alamos’ Inventor of the Year by Battelle in 2023. With approximately 130 peer-reviewed papers and over 24,000 citations to his name, Kim’s research has made a significant impact on the field of sustainable energy technology.
The ECS established the award in 2021 to recognize outstanding work in sustainable energy technologies, making Kim the first recipient from a national laboratory. His cutting-edge research continues to push the boundaries of fuel cell technology, with commercial applications already making a real-world impact.
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