UND’s Energy and Environmental Research Center already is running out of room in its new $3 million hydrogen research facility.

The building, part of the EERC’s National Center for Hydrogen Technology, opened last fall and a dedication ceremony is planned for September.

But the National Center for Hydrogen Technology, which dates to 2004, has had so much demand for hydrogen projects that the EERC expects to expand the North Dakota Centers for Excellence program and its facilities in the future.

“We’re going to make quick use of the building and we are already looking at how we are going to expand that because we have so many projects going on there,” said Mike Holmes, deputy associate director for research at the EERC and the director of the National Center for Hydrogen Technology. “The outlook for hydrogen projects continues to be very promising. We are growing and looking at our future options.”

The EERC’s hydrogen technology program is perfecting technologies used to produce and use hydrogen as a practical fuel source and working on producing hydrogen from fossil and renewable fuels. The center also is working to develop the hydrogen fuel station of the future and using hydrogen in combustion engines and turbines.

EERC Director Gerald Groenewold estimates that hydrogen fuel cell cars could be in showrooms by 2015 if gas prices keep rising.

But there’s a catch.
“We have a chicken and egg problem here,” Groenewold said recently. “The carmakers say, ‘Yeah, we can build a hydrogen fuel cell car, but where’s the infrastructure to fuel it?’ And the fueling people say, ‘We can put in the infrastructure to fuel ’em. Where’s the cars?’ ”

Holmes said the ability to produce and place enough hydrogen dispensers around the nation to make interstate travel possible is not yet an option.

“There are a lot of logistics to be hammered out,” Holmes said. “There’s got to be a marriage of demand with supply. It’s got to move forward together.”

Holmes said at this point fleet vehicles; forklifts and golf carts may be better applications of hydrogen fuel cell technology.

He said fleet vehicles and forklifts can be refueled at a central location like a warehouse or garage. Holmes also said golf carts for use by groundskeepers, forklifts used in warehouses or Zambonis in indoor ice arenas are quieter and produce less pollution when powered by hydrogen.

The EERC has helped develop hydrogen fuel cell powered forklifts and ice resurfacing machines and has adapted the engines of pickup trucks to run on hydrogen, E85 gasoline and unleaded gas.

Ryan Schuster Grand Forks Herald

While many think the fuel cell is a modern invention, the first one was actually built in 1839. Sir William Grove recognized that running electricity through water split it into its two constituent parts: hydrogen and oxygen. Sir William figured if it worked this way, it should work in reverse.

To test his reasoning, Grove built a device that combined hydrogen and oxygen and produced electricity. In the process, Grove built the world's first gas battery, a device we now know as the fuel cell. In an ironic twist, interest in the fuel cell waned with the dawning of the fossil fuel age.

The fuel cell enjoyed something of a renaissance in the 1960s when NASA was planning prolonged space flight. To succeed, the spacecraft would need a source of electricity. Batteries and solar cells were considered, but ruled out because of size and weight issues. Enter the fuel cell - a compact unit capable of satisfying the electrical requirements while using the hydrogen and oxygen already aboard the spacecraft. It also solved another problem: As the fuel cell's only by-product is water, it provided a precious commodity - clean drinking water. Today, they remain an integral part of the space program.

Using a fuel cell to power a vehicle still presents an uphill challenge. Reducing the size and weight of the cell stack while maintaining or improving its power production is important for packaging and design reasons. A smaller stack frees up the space needed for the other components (the electric motor and so on) and allows it to be used in a smaller vehicle. Likewise, improving the power output is critical if the stack is to be used in commercial vehicles.

And while the cost of building a fuel-cell stack has decreased tenfold in the past few years, the price is still too high for universal acceptance. In short, until the fuel cell enjoys the benefit of mass production, it will remain too costly for everyday use.

The third thorn is life expectancy. At present, most fuel cells have an operational life of about 1,500 hours (or approximately three years of normal use) before there is an appreciable decrease in performance (roughly a 15-per-cent drop in output). Some manufacturers, however, are already beginning to break this barrier. Kia will introduce a fuel cell with a life cycle of 3,000 hours - the goal for the production unit is beyond 5,000 hours, which will give it a life cycle of 10 years.

The good news is the fuel cell offers significant advantages. So many, it justifies the optimism and billions of dollars being invested in its future. First, fuel cell-powered vehicles are at least 50-per-cent more economical to operate than a gasoline-powered engine because of the efficiency with which the fuel is used. A conventional gasoline vehicle has a tank-to-wheel efficiency of 16 per cent - inefficient combustion, friction and mechanical losses being the main culprits. Conversely, a fuel cell triples the return, boasting a tank-to-wheel efficiency of 48 per cent.

Second, and more importantly, there is no pollution whatsoever. In the case of a fuel cell that's fed pure hydrogen, the only by-product is water. This eliminates the nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbon and greenhouse-gas emissions that are of such concern. Factor in the ability to produce hydrogen from renewable energy sources such as the sun, wind, water and biomass, and its use as a source of energy is very compelling.

Currently, the list of automakers testing fuel cells is extensive. However, there are a couple of examples that illustrate how well things are going.

Ford has a fleet of thirty Focus FCVs (fuel-cell vehicle) undergoing real world testing - five are based in Vancouver. To date, the experience has been positive, and this after the fleet has logged over 1.2 million test kilometres.

Ford also has the HySeries fuel-cell system. The main 336-volt battery is charged by via power grid. The Edge test mule then runs on this power until the battery reaches a 40-per-cent state of charge. At this point, the fuel cell powers up and recharges the battery. The key difference is that the fuel cell is used as a generator and not as the primary power supply. The combined battery/fuel-cell range is 360 kilometres.

The Canadian success story comes from General Motors - the Oshawa Ontario-built Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell. In all, 100 units have been built and are in service in the United States. I have driven all of the current fuel cell-powered vehicles. The Equinox FC is the equal of them all and, in many respects, ahead of most. The reason is simple - it rides and drives like any other vehicle.

How a Fuel Cell Works

Understanding how a fuel cell functions is easier if you think of it as a distant relative to the ordinary 12-volt battery in your car - with one significant difference. Where a battery must be recharged whenever electricity is drawn from it, a fuel cell will provide power for as long as it fed a constant supply of fuel. This calls for a supply of hydrogen to be combined with the oxygen from the air we breathe.

In the case of a proton exchange membrane or PEM fuel cell - the most popular type - the chemical reaction is a relatively simple one. As with a battery, the fuel cell consists of an anode, a cathode, precious metal catalysts (usually platinum) and a special polymer membrane that doubles as the electrolyte.

Hydrogen gas is fed into the anode side of the cell where it reacts with the catalyst. This separates the hydrogen into electrons and protons (hydrogen ions). What makes the whole lot tick is the fact the electrons are too large to pass through the permeable membrane and so they are forced to flow through an external electric circuit to the cathode (the flow of electrons is referred to as electrical current). This side of the cell supplies the power needed by the vehicle's electric motor. Meanwhile, the hydrogen ions are small enough to pass through the membrane where, again with the help of a catalyst, they combine with the oxygen and electrons (returning from the motor) on the cathode side of the cell to produce water.

This is a simple overview of a single cell. To produce the amount of power required by the vehicle many of these single cells are bundled together to form the so-called fuel-cell stack. The low-voltage DC power produced is then converted into high-voltage AC needed by the electric motor.

By: GRAEME FLETCHER, Canwest News Service

ScienceDaily (May 5, 2008) — Methanol fuel cells are an efficient and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, but they are still not economically viable. Nevertheless, for his PhD, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) research chemist, José E. Barranco, has developed new materials that enable the manufacture of cheaper and more efficient methanol fuel cells.

Over the past decades climate change and its consequences for life on our planet have given rise to a growing scientific interest in the development of alternative energies. The fossil fuels that currently dominate our energy map are not only becoming scarce, but are moreover generating large quantities of contaminating gases. Within the field of renewable energies the scientific community is today devoting great efforts to investigating and developing fuel cells, capable of creating electrical energy from a chemical reaction between a fuel and oxygen.

For fuel cells to be a competitive option amongst alternative energies, advances in a number of fields are required, amongst these being the development of new catalysts, i.e. substances that are responsible for accelerating the chemical reaction required for electricity to be produced. It is in here that José E. Barranco’s focused when he presented his PhD thesis, Development of new metallic materials of an amorphous nature for use in direct methanol fuel cells, at the UPV/EHU. José Enrique Barranco Riveros is a graduate in Chemical Sciences and is currently working as a researcher employed by the Polytechnic University School in the Basque city of Donostia-San Sebastián. His PhD was awarded excellent cum laude unanimously and was led by Dr. Ángel Rodríguez Pierna of the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Environment at the University School.

Methanol as an alternative

Most current research is focused on hydrogen cells the biggest advantage of which is that they do not generate contaminant gases, except water vapour as the only waste product. However, hydrogen is very expensive, both in producing it and in distributing it using traditional overland transport methods. Moreover, its energy density is less than that of methanol, meaning that, in order to obtain the same energy from a similar amount of fuel, the hydrogen has to be kept and stored under conditions of very high pressure (more than 800 bars). This is why hydrogen is dangerous, and even more so when stored in vehicles travelling at high speed – a small crack in the storage container could have fatal consequences. These and other reasons mean that methanol (a type of alcohol derived from methane gas) is a good option for charging fuel cells.

More efficient and sustainable catalysts

In order for the fuel cell to generate electricity, a chemical reaction called electro-oxidation has to take place and this, in turn, requires a catalyst to accelerate the process. This catalyst is inserted in the fuel cell membrane and, in the case of methanol, the basic accelerator is platinum, a scarce and expensive metal. This is why the aim of Dr. Barranco’s thesis was to devise a catalyst composed of a metal alloy in which the amount of platinum is significantly reduced. His research focused on a fundamental problem: the electro-oxidation of methanol produces carbon monoxide, a molecule that adheres to the metal and inhibits the latter’s catalysing capacity, i.e. it impedes the accelerator from doing its work and energy production is halted.

After investigating the composition of numerous metals, Dr. Barranco made alloys that enabled the reduction of the proportion of platinum to 1%. These alloys, composed of elements such as nickel, niobium, antimony or ruthenium, amongst others, have the unique property of converting molecules of carbon monoxide (CO) into carbon dioxide (CO2) efficiently. The CO2, being gaseous, does not adhere to the catalyst which in the long term favours the catalytic process.

This means that the methanol fuel cell will emit a small quantity of CO2 which, according to Dr. Barranco, is easily tolerable by nature given that this can be incorporated into the photosynthesis cycle of plants. According to a study by the American Methanol Institute, it is forecast that, by the year 2020, there will be 40 million cars powered by methanol fuel cells, meaning that CO2 emissions will be cut by 104 million tons with respect to emissions from petrol.

Catalysts in powder form

Once the suitable catalyst was found, Dr. Barranco set out to increase its efficiency. The conclusions of his PhD thesis point to the fact that, if the platinum alloy is structured amorphously, its electrical conduction properties are enhanced and it undergoes less corrosion (advantages for the medium in which it has to operate). Moreover, it has an operational capacity in the order of 80-100 times greater than platinum in a crystalline structure. Amorphous materials are those with a disordered molecular structure and which, in this case, are obtained by the sudden cooling of metal alloys.

Also, for the catalyst made on this basis of amorphous metal alloys to be incorporated into the fuel cell membrane, Dr. Barranco decided to change its form. The result is a very fine powder that is placed in a container to “spray paint” the membrane. Not only this: as it is a substance made of minute particles, the operating capacity of the catalyst is enhanced by 9 to 13 times.

Looking to a fuel cell completely built at the UPV/EHU

Taking into account that the catalyst improves the efficiency of the cell by more than 50%, this new material developed at the UPV/EHU is a giant step forward in fuel cell research. But the PhD thesis of Mr Barranco is not limited to describing and producing the new catalyst. His work falls within the remit of the overall Alcohols Oxidation Fuel Cell Research being undertaken at the Industrial Chemistry and Electrochemical Engineering Laboratory of the Polytechnic University School in Donostia-San Sebastián, research work being led by Dr. Ángel Rodríguez Pierna the target of which is to achieve a methanol fuel cell solely and totally devised and developed at this laboratory.

Adapted from materials provided by Elhuyar Fundazioa.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/05/080505120710.htm

In an unassuming building tucked away behind Bren Hall on Ring Mall by several portable buildings, students and professors are participating in research that could change the landscape of how energy is consumed. The UC Irvine National Fuel Cell Research Center is studying methods to fuel the world of the future.

In recent years NFCRC’s focus has been in researching fuel cells. Despite the fixation of the center on the future of energy, according to Kathy Haq, director of outreach and communications at the NFCRC, fuel cell technology has existed for decades.

“Basically, it sat around as a scientific curiosity for more than a hundred years … and in the ’50s and ’60s the American Space Program through NASA started looking at the potential for putting fuel cells as a power source in manned spacecraft,” Haq said.

Fuel cell technology laid dormant until the ’80s, when gas crises and tensions in the oil-rich Middle East region caused scientists to start investigating energy solutions to the finite supply of fossil fuels. These fossil fuels power the approximate millions of combustion engines around the world.

“[Combustion] produces 80 percent of our world’s energy, whether it’s automobiles or electric power generation,” said Scott Samuelsen, director of the NFCRC and professor in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

Samuelsen continued, “Combustion can only be improved so much, and there needs to be an alternative to provide the energy that we all depend upon in a more environmentally sensitive way, and that led us 10 years ago to establishing the National Fuel Cell Research Center as a center to accelerate the development and deployment of fuel cells.”

As fuel cell technology has progressed, the meaning of the term “fuel cell” has also developed. Popular media has made fuel cells synonymous with “hydrogen-powered” and “fuel-cell cars,” but there are many types of fuel cells that are not limited to the next generation of automobiles.

A fuel cell, in essence, separates a component such as natural gas or hydrogen into electrons and waste product. The electrons then travel to a converter to be converted to electricity.

There are several types of fuel cells, but one of the most common is the Proton Exchange Membrane, which places an anode and a cathode in a sandwich formation, within a membrane, with a catalyst resting between these two parts.

Anodes and cathodes are electrical conductors that generate electrical charges. Through these parts the PEM fuel cell sends compressed hydrogen in a tube through the cell: the hydrogen hits the catalyst and breaks into protons and electrons and the electrons travel to the electric motor.

Each single fuel cell is a tube or plate-shaped component that is stacked together with identical fuel cells, which simultaneously run hydrogen through its system with secondary reactions to convert the waste products into harmless carbon dioxide and water.

“If we can come up with a renewable way to produce hydrogen, these will be completely sustainable technologies for producing power,” Haq said.

However, hydrogen does not occur naturally on earth and must be taken from natural gases, water, coal or liquid fuels. Additionally, the catalysts are often metals that are expensive to produce, such as platinum.

The versatility of fuel cells will enable them to power many of our next-generation powered devices.

“Fuel cells are the first technology we’ve experienced in engineering that can do a good job from being very, very small to being very, very large. Most of our power-generation systems are limited to certain ranges of operation where they work well,” Samuelsen said.

This means fuel cells may be used to power phones, laptops, large buildings and central power plants in the near future. Furthermore, scientists are experimenting with extremely small fuel cells to be used inside the body, which will power pacemakers and other physiological applications. Yet, perhaps most important is the use of fuel cells to power buildings. Due to the success of fuel cells in this capacity, fuel cells may also be used in the next two decades to power homes.

“We have over 20 years of deployment of stationary fuel cells, with never an incident of a safety problem. … There’s almost 20 megawatts of fuel cells deployed throughout California [such as] the Sheraton Hotel in San Diego, Cal State Northridge [and] a waste water treatment plant in Santa Barbara,” Samuelsen said. “[Stationary fuel cells] operate on natural gas, they can also operate on digester gases [generated through] treatment of waste water sewage [and] landfill gases. … We’re capturing those gases today to make power.”

Despite the success of fuel cells, there have been concerns in regard to their use in compressed hydrogen used to power automobiles. However, according to Samuelsen, NFCRC has developed methods to prevent such dangers.

“We had to engineer systems that minimized that danger … fuel cell [automobile technology] has reached a level of maturity where that vehicle is safer today than the gasoline car that it’s replacing,” Samuelsen said.

When gasoline automobiles have accidents, the gasoline tank sometimes ruptures and gasoline pools around the car. When it ignites, the car is incinerated.

However, hydrogen is kept in a gaseous form and is highly compressed, so when the tank is ruptured, the fuel escapes and diffuses into the air.

Although the NFCRC received the first fuel cell cars in the world in 2002 from major car companies like Toyota and Honda, and currently has its own hydrogen refueling station, commercial fuel cell vehicles are not yet available.

“We do not yet have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles being deployed commercially, that’s still five to 10 years away,” Samuelsen said.

In the meantime, professors and graduate students at NFCRC will continue to focus on developing the methods that will power the world of tomorrow through improving fuel cell technology.

by David Lumb

BERLIN — The Russian market could see the world's first laptop fuel-cell recharger.

Moscow-based Aspect Association, an organization working with a network of Russian technology companies, announced plans to mass produce fuel-cell chargers for laptop computers by the end of 2009.

Aspect, the main state contractor for the development of portable fuel cells, intends to co-develop the units with US strategic partner Medis Technologies and by the end of next year manufacture 10,000 units per month in Russia.

Medis, a fuel-cell developer based in New York, last month launched the 24/7 Power Pack, an alkaline-based fuel-cell recharger for handheld devices such as iPods and Blackberries. Medis also runs a mass production line through Celestica in Galway, Ireland that can turn out 1.5 million Power Paks per month.

Laptops are next. Robert Lifton, Medis' CEO, said his company has already demonstrated the platform for making a fuel-cell charger for laptops, though hasn't commercially produced it.

Aspect, which has been importing the Power Pack, aims to get Russian state funding to do so.

"We're discussing the possibility of joint efforts to make the product for laptops, which depends on the Russian partner's ability to join in with financing," said Lifton.

The fuel cell units are chargers that replenish lithium ion batteries, not replacements for them.

If Russian funding doesn't come through, Medis still intends to produce a laptop fuel-cell charger. The company will move away from liquid-based fuel cells by using a stable solid fuel that can be converted to hydrogen, Lifton said.

Lifton, however, doesn't believe fuel cells will replace lithium-ion batteries in the foreseeable future due to economic issues.

NEC, Samsung and Toshiba have all spoke about commercializing fuel-cell batteries for laptops in the last few years, with no commercially-viable results.

"Nobody has it, nobody's even close to it," Lifton said.

By Drew Wilson
Courtesy of EE Times Europe
(05/02/2008 7:01 AM EST)

Driven by the unrelenting rise in petroleum and fossil fuel prices, rising concerns over environmental pollution, and the need for clean energy generation technologies, the world solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) market is projected to reach $443 million by the year 2010. Liberalization of the retail electricity industry, utility infrastructure restructuring, and changing public environmental policies are all expected to offer expanded market opportunities for SOFCs. The need for distributed power, and the expensiveness of upgrading the traditional transmission and distribution systems is additionally expected to offer a business case for the SOFC technology.

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) April 21, 2008 -- Rising economic activity, elevated standards of living, increasing population, and spread of industrialization, are all factors, which wield tremendous pressure on world energy requirements. Broadening knowledge of a wide spectrum of alternative energy technologies coupled with the deregulation of the energy industries worldwide, is helping alternative renewable energies to partake in the lucrative opportunities in the energy industry. With several advantages stacked in its favor, the Solid oxide fuel cells technology is expected to post strong gains in the upcoming years. Stationary power plants represent the largest application area for SOFCs.

The growing use of SOFCs, as a standalone unit, to generate onsite power for remote locations, is expected lend traction to the technology's overall demand, especially in stationary power applications. With research and development breakthroughs promising a reduction in operating temperatures of an SOFC, other small-scale application areas are also expected to contribute towards the demand for SOFCs in the upcoming years. Innovation in modular designs, and sophistication in architecture, and electrochemical processing are additionally expected to help SOFCs expand their application possibilities in portable power applications. Encouraged by the energy distribution drawbacks of large centralized grid systems, the waxing trend towards establishing customized, small-scale community and industrial energy generation plants is expected to spew ample growth opportunities in the SOFCs market.

World SOFCs market is dominated by Japan and other environment driven countries in North America, and Western Europe. North America spearheads the technology's commercialization, with the region housing a large number of active players and boasting an exhaustive list of products in the pipeline and under final stages of testing and demonstration. As stated by the recent report published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., the Japanese market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 8.81% over the period 2011 through 2015, while North America and Europe, together, are expected to post combined revenues to the tune of $393.02 million by the year 2012.

Leading global and regional players operating in the industry include Acumentrics Corporation, Acumentrics Canada Ltd, Adaptive Materials Inc., Adelan Ltd., Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd., Cummins Power Generation Inc, Delphi Corporation, GE Hybrid Power Generation Systems, Global Thermoelectric, Inc., Rolls-Royce Plc, SOFCo-EFS Holdings LLC, Siemens Power Generation Inc, Hexis AG, and Ztek Corporation, among others.

The report titled "Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs): A Global Strategic Business Report" published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a comprehensive review of technology developments, market drivers, trends, issues, and challenges. Richly annotated with authoritative, and unbiased commentaries, and hard-to-find statistical facts, the report provides unequivocal views on future potential while throwing light on the prevailing climate in key regional markets. Latent demand patterns for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are quantified across major geographic market verticals including North America, Europe, and Japan. Also provided in the report is an enumeration of recent mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic industry activities.

For more details about this research report, please visit
http://www.strategyr.com/Solid_Oxide_Fuel_Cells_SOFCs_Market_Report.asp

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a reputed publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company is globally recognized as one of the world's largest market research publishers. The company employs over 700 people worldwide and publishes more than 880 full-scale research reports each year. Additionally, the company also offers a range of over 60,000 smaller research products including company reports, market trend reports, and industry reports encompassing all major industries worldwide.

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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The US Fuel Cell Council applauded today’s Senate decision to extend investment tax credits for fuel cells and urged Congressional leaders in both chambers and the President to agree on final language as quickly as possible.

“Our industry is extremely grateful for the incentives we have in place today. They have been critical to expanding the use of clean energy throughout the country,” said Robert Rose, executive director of the US Fuel Cell Council, the trade association of the industry. “But existing tax credits for fuel cells and other technologies are scheduled to expire on December 31^st, 2008. The uncertainty of credits beyond has already halted projects; failure to pass a comprehensive extension could essentially reverse the progress we have made.”

The Senate approved, as part of unrelated legislation, a bipartisan proposal sponsored by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Ensign (R-NV) to revise and extend the fuel cell tax credits for nine years. “We commend the Senators for their leadership,” Rose said. “Our fledgling industry needs the certainty of a long term extension.

Fuel cells generate electricity, without combustion. They're efficient, environmentally clean and operate on a variety of domestic fuels.

“Strong, reliable policies for advanced energy technologies will benefit the US and are already benefitting other economies,” Rose said. In Germany, for example, where policies support solar power installation, the German government announced that renewable energy jobs in the country have reached nearly 250,000 in 2007, up from 160,000 in 2004.

Fuel cells can have a comparable positive economic impact, Rose said. A recent European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform study concluded the fuel cell industry could support 500,000 jobs by 2030. Where these jobs are located will depend in substantial part on where favorable markets for fuel cells exist. “With enlightened policies, these green jobs can be captured by the US as our industry commercializes,” Rose said.

The fuel cell investment tax credit was first included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Under the Cantwell-Ensign legislation businesses and home-owners will be able to deduct from their tax liability 30% of the cost of installing a fuel cell through 2017.

With 110 members, the US Fuel Cell Council is the voice of the industry. Visit www.usfcc.com.

QuantumSphere, Inc., a leading manufacturer of nano metals and alloys for applications in renewable energy, portable power, defense, electronics and other markets demanding advanced materials, today announced that it awarded a grant to Professor Elias Stefanakos and postdoctoral student Sesha Srinivasan of the University of South Florida (USF) to conduct research in the use of nanomaterials in the advancement of hydrogen storage for fuel cell and transportation applications. This marks the second year that QuantumSphere has awarded research grants for the integration of nanomaterials into cutting-edge applications.

"Nanomaterials hold tremendous potential in the practical application of hydrogen as an alternative fuel which could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. QuantumSphere is reaching out with research grants to help accelerate the use of nanomaterials to further advance hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell technologies," said Kevin Maloney, CEO of QuantumSphere. "We believe Professor Stefanakos' and Dr. Srinivasan's proposal holds exceptional promise in advancing the field of hydrogen storage for fuel cells. His group at the University of South Florida will attempt to make hydrogen fuel cells more practical by improving the ability to store and release hydrogen fuel. Chemical hydrides, as well as high pressure tanks, are commonly used technologies for on-board hydrogen storage."

The USF team will integrate nanomaterials into chemical hydrides for hydrogen storage devices and evaluate their ability to absorb and release hydrogen.

"QuantumSphere's patented manufacturing process has enabled the production of advanced nanomaterials with highly desirable qualities that could increase the rate in which hydrogen is released from and absorbed back into these chemical hydrides," said Stefanakos. "These ultra-pure, highly uniform metals measure less than 50 nanometers in size, and they present unique properties that may advance the use of hydrides to make fuel cells smaller and more practical in automotive applications."

Stefanakos hopes his group's research improves the rate at which hydrogen can be compressed and decompressed into a fuel cell storage medium. He will use nanomaterials in an attempt to improve the kinetics of hydrogen's removal from the storage hydride, and also reduce the temperature of the process. Improvements in both these properties will need to be addressed to meet future guidelines developed by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Stefanakos said his research group has been researching hydrogen storage for more than 12 years, and over the last four years, the group has focused mainly on complex hydrates. His group has worked extensively with the U.S. Department of Energy on fuel cell research for several of those years.

Last year, QuantumSphere initiated a call for research grant proposals to partner with universities and sponsor individual or group research through the prototype phase in an effort to accelerate validation and commercialization of these advanced materials in consumer and industrial applications. The award to the University of South Florida is one of two grants awarded by QuantumSphere this year. The second grant was awarded to Iowa State University to conduct research in the use of nanomaterials for anti-microbial purposes. This is the second year QuantumSphere has awarded these grants and the first year they have been awarded to research institutions outside of California.