MPA-11 researchers have received a number of internal and external awards in recognition of their technical excellence and materials science contributions.
Rajesh Bashyam, a postdoc in Sensors and Electrochemical Devices (MPA-11) is the
2007 winner of the LANL Postdoctoral Pub
lication Prize in Experimental Sciences. Bashyam was nominated by his mentor, Piotr Zelenay of MPA-11, who co-authored the award winning paper titled, “A Class on Nonprecious Metal Composite Catalysts for Fuel Cells.” The paper was published in Nature in September 2006. According to Zelenay, “the paper reports on the development of a new class of oxygen reduction catalysts for the polymer electrolyte fuel cell that exhibits promising activity and stability.” Bashyam’s paper was selected by a panel of Laboratory technical staff members, and the research represents a seminal contribution to the field. He will receive a certificate, monetary award, and be given the opportunity to discuss his research at an upcoming Physics/Theoretical Division colloquium this fall. The Department of Energy’s Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies funds much of the polymer electrolyte fuel-cell research at Los Alamos.
David Wood III, a University of New Mexico graduate student, was selected for an honorable mention for the 2005 Dr. Bernard S. Baker Student Award for Fuel Cell Research, presented at the 2005 Fuel Cell Seminar in Palm Springs, CA in November. The award recognizes exceptional students in the field of fuel cell related technologies. His dissertation research focuses on elucidation of key degradation mechanisms, development of accelerated testing methods, and comprehensive PEM fuel cell durability testing.
The Fuel Cell Durability Team (Rod Borup, team leader, John Davey, Fernando Garzon, Mike Inbody, and David Wood III) was honored at the 2005 DOE Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Annual Merit and Peer Review for the most significant research and development contribution of the year.
Rangachary Mukundan (photo at left) won the 2005 Electrochemical Society's J.B. Wagner Young Investigator Award for outstanding research in high temperature materials science and technology.
Rod Borup, John Davey, Fernando Garzon, Susan Pacheco, David Wood III and Jian Xie of Los Alamos National Lab and Plamen Atanassov of University of New Mexico won the 2004 Fuel Cell Seminar Best Poster Award for "Durability Issues of the PEMFC GDL and MEA Under Steady-State and Drive-Cycle Operating Conditions."
The Materials Chemistry Team (Fernando Garzon, Eric Brosha and Rangachary Mukundan) received a Technology Maturation Award in 2004 to develop "Tape Casting of Mixed Potential Sensors."
Palm Power Project Team (Piotr Zelenay, lead, Eric Brosha, John Davey, Christian Eickes, Robert Fields, Francois Le Scornet, Dennis Lopez, Piotr Piela, Bryan Pivovar, Geraldine Purdy, John Ramsey, John Rowley, Mahlon Wilson, Christine Zawodzinski, and Yimin Zhu) received the 2003 Los Alamos National Laboratory Distinguished Performance Award.
Greg Kaduchak: 2003 Los Alamos National Laboratory Distinguished Performance Award.
Dipen Sinha: 2002 Los Alamos National Laboratory Distinguished Licensing Award.
2001 DOE Energy 100 Award: LANL Fuel Cells for Transportation was honored as one of the 100 best scientific and technological accomplishments of the Department of Energy during the 20th Century.
2001 "Energy @ 23" DOE Award: LANL Fuel Cells for Transportation was recognized as one of the scientific and technological innovations developed by DOE between 1977 and the year 2000 that demonstrated benefits to the American public, a contribution to U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace and the potential for significant future growth.
Greg Kaduchak: 2001 FBI Director's Award.
Dipen Sinha and Greg Kaduchak: 2000 R&D 100 award for ANDE - Advanced Nondestructive Evaluation System.
Mahlon Wilson: 2000 Los Alamos National Laboratory Distinguished Licensing Award.
Piotr Zelenay and John Ramsey received a Technology Maturation Award for construction of prototype "High Power Density Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Stacks."
The Materials Chemistry Team (Eric Brosha, Dave Brown, Rangachary Mukundan, and Fernando Garzon) received an R&D 100 award in 1999 for "The Sulfur Resistant Oxymitter 4000."
In 1998, the LANL Fuel Cell team was awarded the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles Medal in a ceremony in the White House complex. Presidential Science Advisor Neal Lane, acting on behalf of then Vice President Al Gore, recognized 15 scientists from the automotive industry, its suppliers, and the Federal government for their work on environmentally-friendly fuel cell technology pursued under the collaborative industry-government Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles.
Our intellectual property portfolio contains a large number of important patents that are used by many, if not all, of the world's fuel cell manufacturers. Our gas sensor patent portfolio includes a variety of sensors for detection and measurement.
US Patent #7,264,700: Fernando H. Garzon, Eric L. Brosha, Rangachary Mukundan. "Thin Film Mixed Potential Sensors"
US Patent #7,214,442: J. C. Ramsey and M. S. Wilson. "High Specific Power, Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Stack"
US Patent #7,214,333: Rangachary Mukundan, Eric L. Brosha, Fernando Garzon. "Electrodes for solid state gas sensor"
US Patent #7,083,708: J.Chlistunoff, S.Gottesfeld, L.Lipp. "Oxygen-consuming chlor alkali cell configured to minimize peroxide formation"
US Patent #6,986,961: Xiaoming Ren and Shimshon Gottesfeld. "Fuel Cell Stack with Passive Air Supply"
US Patent #6,962,760: Cynthia Rice, Xiaoming Ren and Shimshon Gottesfeld. "Methods of Conditioning Direct Methanol Fuel Cells"
US Patent #6,959,601: Dipen Sinha. "Noninvasive Characterization of a Flowing Multiphase Fluid Using Ultrasonic Interferometry"
US Patent #6,889,560: Dipen N. Sinha. "Noninvasive characterization of a flowing multiphase fluid using ultrasonic interferometry"
US Patent #6,818,341: Francisco A. Uribe and Thomas A Zawodzinski. "Fuel cell anode configuration for CO tolerance"
US Patent #6,808,838: M.S. Wilson. "Direct Methanol Fuel Cell and System"
US Patent #6,864,004: Mahlon Wilson and John Ramsay. "Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Stack"
US Patent #6,696,382: P. Zelenay, J. Davey, X. Ren, S. Gottesfeld, and S. C. Thomas. "Catalyst inks and method of application for direct methanol fuel cells"
US Patent #6,656,336: R. Mukundan, E. L. Brosha and F. H. Garzon. "Method for forming a potential hydrocarbon sensor with low sensitivity to methane and CO"
US Patent #6,644,119: Dipen N. Sinha. "Noninvasive characterization of a flowing multiphase fluid using ultrasonic interferometry"
US Patent #6,644,118: Gregory Kaduchak and Dipen N. Sinha. "Cylindrical acoustic levitator/concentrator having non-circular cross-section"
US Patent #6,635,369: F. A. Uribe and T. Zawodzinski. "Method for improving fuel cell performance"
US Patent #6,605,202: R. Mukundan, E. L. Brosha and F. H. Garzon. "Electrodes for solid state gas sensor"
US Patents #6,596,422 and #6,492,052: Xiaoming Ren. "Air Breathing Direct Methanol Fuel Cell"
US Patent #6,488,837: Xiaoming Ren and S. Gottesfeld. "Methanol Sensor Operated in a Passive Mode"
US Patent #6,467,350: Gregory Kaduchak and Dipen N. Sinha. "Cylindrical Acoustic Levitator/Concentrator"
US Patent #6,458,479: Xiaoming Ren and S. Gottesfeld. "Air Breathing Direct Methanol Fuel Cell"
US Patent #6,454,922: K. Weisbrod. "Corrosion Test Cell for Bipolar Plate Materials"
US Patent #6,296,964: Xiaoming Ren and S. Gottesfeld. "Enhanced methanol utilization in direct methanol fuel cell"
US Patent #6,277,256: F.H. Garzon and E.L. Brosha. "Enhanced electrodes for solid state gas sensors"
US Patent #6,255,012: M.S. Wilson and C. Zawodzinski. "Pleated metal bipolar assembly"
US Patent #6,248,467: M.S. Wilson and D. N. Busick. "Composite bipolar plate for electrochemical cells"
US Patent #6,207,310: M.S. Wilson and C. Zawodzinski. "Fuel cell with metal screen flow-field"
US Patent #6,186,004: Greg Kaduchak and Dipen N. Sinha. "Apparatus and method for remote, noninvasive characterization of structures and fluids inside containers"
US Patent #6,117,577: M.S. Wilson. "Ambient pressure fuel cell system"
US Patent #6,117,089: Dipen N. Sinha, "Method for Noninvasive Intra-cranial Pressure Measurement"
US Patent #6,037,072: M. S. Wilson and C. Zawodzinski. "Fuel cell with metal screen flow-field"
US Patent #6,053,041: Dipen N. Sinha, "Noninvasive Method for Determining the Liquid Level and Density inside of a Container"
US Patent #5,952,119: M. S. Wilson. "Fuel cell membrane humidification"
US Patent #5,886,262: Dipen N. Sinha. "Apparatus and Method for Comparing Corresponding Acoustic Resonances in Liquids"
US Patent #5,798,187: M. S. Wilson and C. Zawodzinski. "Fuel Cell with Metal Screen Flow-Field"
US Patent #5,767,407: Dipen N. Sinha. "Noninvasive Identification of Fluids by Swept-Frequency Acoustic Interferometry"
US Patent #5,739,432: Dipen N. Sinha. "Ultrasonic Characterization of Single Drops of Liquids"
US Patent #5,695,624: F.H. Garzon and E.L. Brosha. "Solid state oxygen sensor"
US Patent #5,641,586: M. S. Wilson. "Fuel cell with interdigitated porous flow-field"
US Patent #5,606,130: Dipen N. Sinha, Brian W. Anthony. "Method for Determining the Octane Rating of Gasoline Samples by Observing Corresponding Acoustic Resonances Therein"
US Patent #5,595,834: M. S. Wilson and J. K. Nuetzler. "Annular feed air breathing fuel cell stack"
US Patent #5,543,025: F.H. Garzon, B.W. Chung, I.D. Raistrick, and E.L. Brosha. "Solid state oxygen sensor"
US Patent #5,514,486: M. S. Wilson. "Annular feed air breathing fuel cell stack"
US Patent #5,426,977: Roger G. Johnston and Dipen N. Sinha. "Method for Establishing the Presence of Salmonella Bacteria in Eggs"
US Patent #5,375,595: Dipen N. Sinha, William O. Wray. "Apparatus and Method for Noncontact, Acoustic Resonance Determination of Intraocular Pressure"
US Patent #5,368,717: Shimshon Gottesfeld and Francisco A. Uribe. "Metallization of electronic insulators"
US Patents #5,234,777 and #5,211,984: M.S. Wilson. "Membrane Catalyst Layer for Fuel Cells"
US Patent #5,222,388: Dipen N. Sinha, William H. Christensen, Stephen F. Agnew. "Nitrogen Dioxide Detection"
US Patent #4,912,355: Bruce W. Noel, Darryl L. G. Smith, Dipen N. Sinha. "Superlattice Strain Gage"
US Patent #4,876,115: Ian Raistrick. "Electrode assembly for use in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell"
US Patent #4,650,727: Nicholas E. Vanderborgh, Thomas Springer, James R. Huff. "Fuel Processor for Fuel Cell Power System"
