Building Better Fuel Cells With Nanotechnology

Summary posted by Meridian on 5/15/2008
Source: Nanowerk
Author: Michael Berger

Researchers from the National Chemical Laboratory in India have developed a carbon nanotube composite material that can potentially enable the development of superior “proton exchange membrane fuel cells” (PEMFCs), a leading fuel cell technology designed for transportation applications. The article says that the performance of current PEMFCs is limited by the proton conductivity of the polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) they contain, which is effected by relative humidity. The article says that, furthermore, commercialization of PEMFCs is currently limited by a lack of affordable materials from which to make them. Researcher Vijayamohanan Pillai said, “An improvement in the proton conductivity of the electrolyte membrane even by only one order of magnitude could change the performance of fuel cells dramatically." He further explained that the addition of carbon nanotubes to the material used to make the membranes improved the proton conductivity of the membranes. He also said that carbon nanotubes could potentially improve the mechanical stability of the membranes, resulting in cost reduction. Pillai said that additional obstacles need to be resolved before the new technology can be commercially viable, including an evaluation of the membranes’ chemical stability and durability, as well as the possibility of corrosion of the electrode materials. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

The original article may still be available at www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=5693.php

As tagged by Meridian Institute:

Energy: Fuel Cells
Nanomaterials: Carbon Nanoparticle
Regions: East and South Asia and the Pacific
Stakeholders: Government, Academia

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