Beschreibung:
<jats:p> PEM-fuel cell research and development is highly interdisciplinary. Material science, chemistry, physical chemistry, physics and engineering problems need to be defined and solved with many inter-dependencies making R & D strategies highly complex and vulnerable to fail. The amazing progress we have seen has required not just many experts in their particular field but also a very productive communication culture for exchanging and developing ideas. Shimshon Gottesfeld is a cornerstone of this community combining technical knowledge with an extraordinary capability to stimulate and guide discourse. Here, I will present some of our own research that was inspired in part by the many stimuli that Shimshon gave to us. Over good meals and <jats:italic>ad hoc</jats:italic> notes on napkins, we asked ourselves questions such as: Through which mechanisms are proton, hydroxide ion, water, and even methanol transport related in fuel cell membranes? Are “hydroxide ion exchange membrane” (HEM) fuel cells feasible? Can we use hydrocarbons as membrane materials and ionomers in PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers? The world is radically changing in many respects and so does the way we do science. I hope younger researchers can continue to draw hope and inspiration from Shimshon’s model of open, provocative and friendly discourse driven by intellectual curiosity [1] as a way for making progress in solving complex problems. <jats:list list-type="simple">
<jats:list-item>
<jats:p>Jillian M. Buriak and Carlos Toro <jats:italic>Chem. Mater.</jats:italic>
<jats:bold>2014</jats:bold>, 26, 6651−6652</jats:p>
</jats:list-item>
</jats:list>
</jats:p>