Congratulations 2008 Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition Award Winners!
The Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition would like to congratulate Dr. Shimshon Gottesfeld and Dr. Karl Kordesch as the winners of the 2008 Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition Award. This award is given annually to those who have achieved outstanding leadership and innovation in the promotion of the overall advancement of fuel cell technology.
Dr. Gottesfeld obtained his D.Sc. in chemistry in 1970 from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and joined the staff of the Department of Chemistry, University of Tel Aviv, in 1972. His research activities at Tel Aviv included studies of electrochemical interfaces with spectroscopic techniques, focusing on fundamental and applied aspects of electrocatalysis and on photoelectrochemical energy conversion processes.
Dr. Gottesfeld spent an extended sabbatical leave between 1977 and 1979 at Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ, working primarily on electrochromic materials. In 1984 he came to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) on sabbatical leave and in 1987 became the Technical Project Leader for the Fuel Cell Research program at LANL. The work of his team at LANL in the 1980’s and 1990’s was recognized world-wide for technology enabling contributions in the areas of polymer electrolyte fuel cells ( PEFCs) and direct methanol fuel cells ( DMFCs) .
Between 1996 and 2000, Dr. Gottesfeld served as representative of the US National Laboratories on the Fuel Cell Technology Steering Committee of the “Partnership for the New Generation Vehicle” ( PNGV). In 1999, Dr. Gottesfeld was appointed a Laboratory Fellow at LANL.
Dr. Gottesfeld has published over 150 articles and several book chapters and holds 25 patents with 5 more pending. He served for several years as Officer and Chair of the Physical Electrochemistry Division of the Electrochemical Society. Then in 1999 Dr. Gottesfeld was selected as a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society.
In 1999, Dr. Gottesfeld co-initiated the series of Grodon Research Conferences on Fuel Cells, remaining to date the highest level annual meeting devoted to fuel cell science and technology.
In December, 2000, Dr. Gottesfeld took an entrepreneurial leave from LANL, to become CTO of MTI Microfuel Cells in Albany, NY. He led at MTI the development of direct methanol fuel cells for use in advanced power sources for portable electronic applications. A central development of DMFC technology at MTI, was a novel platform (MobionR ) that enables significant DMFC power system simplification. Dr. Gottesfeld moved to status of senior advisor in 2006, and later concluded his activities at MTI.
In 2006, Dr. Gottesfeld was the recipient of the Grove Medal for Fuel Cell Science and Technology. He was the first to receive this award.
In 2007, Dr. Gottesfeld made another new start in the area of fuel cell technology, aiming this time at resolution of the significant barrier to market entry to do with the high cost of the technology. He co-initiated a new start-up company, Cellera Technologies, where he is now CTO and member of the board. Cellera is devoted to the development of a new polymer electrolyte fuel cell technology based on non-PGM catalysts and inexpensive stack hardware. The company was incorporated in the US in 2007 and established early in 2008 a first R&D center in Caesaria, Israel.
Dr. Karl Kordesch*
* Dr. Karl Kordesch will be unable to attend the Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition.
In his absence, his colleague Dr. Peter Kalal will speak in his place.
Karl Kordesch was born March 18, 1922 in Vienna, Austria. He studied Chemistry and Physics at the University of Vienna and graduated 1948 as PhD. As University Assistant at the Physical Chemistry Institute in Vienna he worked already together with Industry, developing a Zinc-Air Battery and was granted several patents. In 1953 he was invited to continue his work at the US-Signal Corps as scientific staff member and moved with his family to the USA. There he worked on several electrochemical systems and electronic circuits, resulting in several patents.
In 1955 Dr. Kordesch joined Union Carbide Corp. to work at the Research Laboratory in Parma, Ohio. As Battery Group Leader he continued the development of different batteries. The alkaline Manganese dioxide-Zinc primary cell was one of his major projects. Union Carbide at that time was the manufacturer of Eveready Batteries in the USA. The new alkaline System rapidly replaced the Zinc-Carbon (LeClanche) Manganese dioxide battery in the following years (1960 – 70) in all Western Countries. Dr. Kordesch obtained many of the basic patents on compositions and design matters. The alkaline Manganese Primary Battery is now the leading Consumer Battery and is known as Eveready product sold under the name of Energizer, but its variations are also worldwide produced by Duracell, Rayovac, Varta, Sony and other companies.
During his time at Union Carbide as Contract Manager, Dr. Kordesch contributed to the development of Hydrogen Fuel Cells for the US Space program, for the US Navy and for the General Motors Electrovan. In the early 70’s he built a Fuel Cell City Car (an Austin A 40, designed as a hybrid vehicle with rechargeable batteries) for his personal use and operated it for several years on public roads with Ohio License Plates. Many patents and scientific publications were the result. A motorcycle was built as a Hydrazine-Fuel Cell-Nickel Cadmium battery hybrid. It was used by Union Carbide Corp. in New York to demonstrate the usefulness of that system for the US-Army.
Later, a gasoline-Lead Battery Hybrid Car variation of Austin was demonstrated at the NASA test-track facilities in Cleveland and judged as a very promising future vehicle. In 1974 the book “Batteries”, Vol.1, Manganese dioxide and then in 1977 Vol.2, Electric Vehicles, was published by Marcel Dekker, NY.
In his later position as “Union Carbide Corporate Research Fellow” the working area of Dr. Kordesch was Corporation–wide, covering many technical areas.
In recognition of his work, the US-Electrochemical Society awarded Dr. Kordesch the (Vittorio de Nora) Gold Medal for outstanding achievements. Several other awards of Technical Societies followed, also in Europe, especially a high commercial award (the Wilhelm Exner Medal) in his home-country Austria. Many patents were granted. To Kordesch and then assigned to the contracting companies.
In 1977 Dr. Kordesch was called by the president of Austria to fill the Chair of a Full Professor at the Technical University of Graz, serving as director of the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry. Dr. Kordesch was at that time already a US-Citizen. This position automatically reinstated his Austrian Citizenship, keeping the USA-citizenship. Dr. Kordesch left Union Carbide Corp. as an “Early Retiree” and continued his work on Alkaline Batteries and Fuel Cells at the Institute in Austria. Many publications and two more books were the result of his work. Especially the possibility of recharging the alkaline Manganese dioxide-Zinc battery (which was already tried at Union Carbide) looked promising and after a few changes (patents) and with the help of Austrian Government and some industrial Grants, the rechargeability was brought to a high level. The technical work of Prof. Kordesch was recognized by becoming the Secretary General of the International Society of Electrochemistry and their Vice president and several other scientific positions. However, at that time it was not possible to commercialize the rechargeable alkaline battery in Europe, partly due to the resistance of the established Battery Industry which favored the single use-(disposable) Primary Battery, which had by that time become of universal use in the electronic field. At the present time about 30 – 40 billion of Primary batteries are thrown away each year.
In Canada, 1986, together with Mr. Wayne D. Hartford, the, Battery Technologies Inc. (BTI), was founded. A Pilot Plant production was established and negotiations about licensing this product were initiated. Rayovac, in Madison, WI, USA became the first licensee of BTI and started to manufacture all four cylindrical types of the Rechargeable Alkaline Manganese dioxide – Zinc (RAMTM) Battery under the trade name, Renewal. Soon over 50 % of the small consumer Ni-Cd batteries in the USA were replaced. Now the competition is the more expensive Metal-Hydride- and Lithium-Batteries. Other licensees are now manufacturing in Canada (Pure Energy, Inc., following BTI), also in South Korea (Young Poong, ALCAVA), and in Malaysia (Grand Cell Batteries). RAM Batteries are starting to be commercialized in Europe, Australia and South Africa. Duplicates are made following expired of Patents in USA and elsewhere.
After his retirement in 1992, Dr. Kordesch continues to head a Research Group in Austria, but as Professor emeritus he is entitled to guide Students during their Doctor-Dissertation and can use all the facilities of the Institute at the Technical University in Graz and the Technical University in Vienna (from which he received an honorary Dr. techn. degree) for his life time. This includes (voluntary) teaching, consulting, legal technical court advice and the acceptance of Grants and Contracts, also within the European Space Agency and the European Union. In Canada, Dr. Kordesch founded the company Kordesch & Associates Inc. and serves as a Consultant in Electrochemistry for some Companies, like Battery Technologies Inc., Energy Visions Inc. (Canada), and The Research Council of Canada (Ottawa and Calgary) etc..
Dr. Kordesch is participating in many International Technical Meetings and Symposia worldwide. Subjects of his papers are Batteries, Chargers, Electric Vehicles, and Fuel Cells. The book, Brennstoffbatterien, was published in 1984 by Springer Verlag. More recently the book Fuel Cells and their Applications (co-authored by his previous student, G. Simader) was published by VCH / Wiley, NY. The first edition (1996) was quickly sold out, the second, third and fourth reprints (the last one in 2002) followed. A new up to date edition is now in the works. Several Chapters in the new Handbook of Fuel Cells (W. Vielstich, et al., ed.), published by Wiley 2002 / 03, have been contributed. An alkaline Fuel Cell Summary, a revival of the role of Ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, combined with a new catalytic cracker to supply fuel cells with hydrogen are subjects of some of the new chapters.
Dr. Kordesch has 4 Children, Johanna, Albert, Cathy and Martin. All have academic degrees, medical and technical, all are married. Three families live in the USA, one in the UK. There are presently 7 Grand children.
Dr. Peter J. Kalal earned degrees from both Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic (1982), as well as the Technical University Graz, Austria (1987). He’s gained extensive experience in areas such as general chemistry, physical chemistry, electrochemistry, electrochemical power sources (batteries and fuel cells), industrial electrochemistry, electrochemical sensors, material science, inorganic synthesis, instrumental analysis, and biophysical methods.
Dr. Kalal has worked throughout the industry as a researcher and finally as an independent consultant. He first started his professional career as a Research Associate at the Institute for Mineralogy and Crystallography, Technical University in Vienna, Austria, and has worked as a researcher for other organizations, including Astris Inc. (Canada), Ontario Hydro Research Division (Canada), J. Roy Gordon Research Laboratory, INCO Ltd. (Canada), and Corning Incorporated (New York).
His research has leaded him to many accomplishments. These include development of gas diffusion electrodes for alkaline fuel cells, electrochemical process for organic waste destruction, new surfaces for high throughput ion channel screening system (collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb), and development of a DNA hybridization sensor based on thin film field effect transistor, as well as a DNA hybridization sensor based on impedance changes of nanoscale sized interdigitated electrodes.
Dr. Kalal currently works as an Independent Consultant on such areas as electrochemical oxygen sensors, secondary batteries, and fuel cells.
For Dr. Kalal’s full resume, please click here