Breakthroughs, Inventions, Discoveries & Pioneering Efforts in the Field of Fuel Cells

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Fuel Cells

Fuel Cells - Inventions, Research, Innovations, Breakthroughs

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1. Micro-Fuel Cell Technology for Handheld Electronic Devices – Technology News Daily, May 2006
2. 'Cool' fuel cells could revolutionize Earth's energy resources - Jul 2004 by University of Houston
3. Pioneering Fuel cell system provides power and hot water in the home for the first time - switch-on completes successful research project - Fuel Cell Markets
4. Pioneering Fuel Cell Technology Underlines Ceres Power’s Receipt of Frost & Sullivan’s Excellence in Technology Award - Jul 2006 - Ceres Power is presented with the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Excellence in Technology Award in the European micro combined heat and power (CHP) market for developing a fuel cell technology that operates at lower temperature ranges compared to conventional solid oxide fuel cells. Read more from this Frost & Sullivan report
5. Milestone Achieved in the Development of Biological Fuel Cells - April 2006 - NEWSWISE/Science News - A team of researchers at the University of Oxford have developed an enzyme based biological fuel cell that takes oxygen and hydrogen from an atmosphere to power electrical devices. The enzymes used are isolated from naturally occurring bacteria that have evolved to use hydrogen in their metabolic process.Since the enzymes can be grown they represent a cheap and renewable alternative to the expensive platinum based catalysts used by others in Hydrogen Fuel cells. More from this web page
6. Acta’s Breakthrough Fuel Cell Technology - Acta announced that it has signed its first commercial sales and distribution contract with Summit Medichem Ltd, Sumitomo Corporation’s Chemicals Business Unit and subsidiary. Acta proprietary nanotechnology has enabled it to develop a new, unique family of catalysts called HYPERMEC™ catalysts which breakdown the barriers to the commercialisation of the fuel cells for mass market applications. HYPERMEC™ catalysts use low cost materials, work at low temperatures, enable use of cheap, safe and environmentally friendly fuels and thereby create the possibility of mass-producing fuel cells. While HYPERMEC™ catalysts can function on methanol and hydrogen, the two most common fuels currently used by the fuel cell industry at present, fuel cells using Acta’s catalysts can also run directly on Ethanol a safe, practical and widely distributed fuel at room temperature, which platinum catalysed fuel cells cannot, according to this corporate press release.
7. Scientists make 'amazing' fuel cell breakthrough - August 2006 - A team of Korean scientists has developed a new method of storing hydrogen as a solid, easing potential complications associated with the commercialisation of fuel cell technology. The researchers from Seoul University's School of Physics and Astronomy have pioneered a technique that binds hydrogen using titanium into a stable solid that can be stored at low pressure and relatively high temperatures. Read more from this Platinum Today web page
8. ZAP unveils hydrogen fuel cell breakthrough - Aug 2004 - Advanced automotive technology company ZAP announced a breakthrough electric propulsion system that uses a new hydrogen fuel cell and lead-cobalt battery design developed by Apollo Energy Systems. Apollo has developed and patented an Alkaline Fuel Cell, an improved version of the early Alkaline Fuel Cells used by NASA in the Apollo Moon Mission; these have a higher voltage, higher efficiency, and greater reliability than other types of fuel cells. Apollo has also patented a Tri-Polar Lead-Cobalt battery to be used with the Apollo Fuel Cell. The battery is made with Lead-Foam electrodes making it lighter than ordinary lead-acid batteries with a higher voltage as well as greater energy and power density. Read more from this press release at Zap World
9. True breakthrough in advanced micro fuel cell technology for handheld devices - MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc., the leading developer of miniaturized fuel cells suitable for handheld electronic devices demonstrated the world's first handheld entertainment system and PDA/smartphone powered by an integrated fuel cell. The MTI Micro´s Mobion™ is based on patented direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology, and could ultimately enable it to power portable devices 2 to 10 times longer than an equivalent size battery pack, while allowing for instant, cord-free re-charging. Read more from this Physorg blog entry, Jun 2004
10. Breakthrough design in fuel cell technology - Vary the flow of hydrogen fuel to control the power generated - A simple control mechanism, which varies the flow of hydrogen fuel to control the power generated could be a breakthrough in fuel cell technology. The secret is a system in which the fuel input itself changes the size of the reaction chamber, and therefore the amount of power produced. For example, an increased flow of hydrogen into the chamber pushes more water out of the system, lowering the water level and increasing the space available for the reaction to take place, and the reverse for a decreased flow of hydrogen. The water at the bottom of the chamber also serves to maintain the needed humidity for the fuel cell reaction to take place. This patented "auto-humidifying" design solves a problem present in most fuel cell designs. More from this What Next Network article - Jan 2007
    

Pictures

A hi res picture of a fuel cell

Picture of molten carbonate fuel cells 

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