Efficient Hydrogen Generation to Boost Fuel Cell Output

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) are being developed with an eye toward use in mobile phones, but they are poorly suited to applications demanding high output. The potential for fuel cells using hydrogen fuel in these applications, however, has suddenly jumped. Casio Computer Co, Ltd of Japan has developed a reformer to extract hydrogen from methanol, while Hitachi Maxell Ltd of Japan has developed a device that generates hydrogen by merely mixing aluminum powder into water. Both firms displayed prototypes said to be ready for practical use. If hydrogen can be used as fuel it becomes possible to boost output to 200mW/cm2 or higher, meaning that mobile gear requiring output of 10W or more can be powered by fuel cells.

Companies like Canon Inc of Japan and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) of Japan are developing fuel cells utilizing gaseous hydrogen stores in hydrogen-absorbing alloy, but the hydrogen storage efficiency is poor and the approach seems ill-suited to the needs of long-term drive for mobile equipment. This has spurred the development of systems to efficiently extract hydrogen from materials with high hydrogen content, such as methanol.

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