CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK AMERICANS TO ELECTRONIC RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION, AND TRAINING AT FORT MONMOUTH 1940-1982 BY THOMAS E. DANIELS ELECTRONIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND COMBAT SURVEILLANCE AND TARGET ACQUISITION LABORATORY FEBRUARY    1983

The intent or purpose of this booklet is as follows: 1. To promote an awareness of technological contributions      by blacks collectively at Fort Monmouth. 2. To promote an awareness of blacks in many nontraditional      areas of technology, science, and engineering. 3. To promote an awareness of many high level black men and      women, including military who served at Fort Monmouth. 4. To inspire youths, particularly blacks and minorities,     to consider science and engineering careers by providing role models. 5. To dispel the myths that blacks can only achieve in      sports and entertainment.

CHEMIST GETS PATENT FOR ELECTRODE DEVELOPMENT

    Mr. John Perry, Jr., a chemist at the US Army Communications and Electronics Materiel Readiness Command, Fort Monmouth, NJ, has been granted a patent for a new method of making a fuel cell electrode. It represents an improvement in electrode development, by reducing the cost of catalyst in fuel cells.

    The invention concerns a method of producing fuel cell anode electrodes for use in methanol-air and ethylene glycolair fuel cell batteries. These fuel cells have been investigated for use in military equipment.

    The high cost and quantity of noble metals, such as platinum and palladium required for anode electrode fabrication has been one of the factors limiting the acceptance of these fuel cells. Perry's invention provides for fabrication of an anode electrode with low noble metal catalyst loadings of platinum, doped anodically with lead dioxide. Total loading is reduced by 81 percent.

    The performance of cells with the new anode electrodes reportedly gives about the same performance as the cells with anodes containing high quantities of noble metal catalyst. Perry has authored 19 technical publications relating to his fuel cell work, and has been awarded three previous patents in this area.

    Employed at Fort Monmouth since 1951, he has been assigned to the Electronic Technology and Devices Laboratory since 1956.

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