Category Archives: Fuel Cells

Names in the News


May 15, 2008

Asymtek, a Nordson company announced the promotion of Chris Brown to regional sales manager, United Kingdom and Ireland, representing both Asymtek and sister company EFD’s products, offering a full range of dispensing systems to customers throughout the region.
Brown has been with Nordson for seven years as EFD’s European business development manager for automated equipment. Prior to joining EFD, he worked for a Japanese distributor, selling robotics into the UK and Ireland. Brown has extensive experience in the medical and fuel cell industries in the UK. Brown received his HNC in mechanical and electrical engineering at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, UK.

(May 16, 2008) Taipei, TAIWAN &#151 Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has approved proposals by IC packaging and testing companies PowerTech Technology Inc., and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. to expand their investment in China after deciding the companies met the conditions set for investment in China by the ministry’s Investment Commission.

May 7, 2008 — Yole Développement, the French market research firm known for its annual “Top 30” ranking of MEMS producers has introduced a MEMS “toolkit” consisting of two databases. The toolkit is designed to serve the market-quantification needs of MEMS developers, investors, and industry suppliers; it consists of Yole’s World MEMS Market database 2008 (WM2) and the latest edition of its World MEMS Firms database (WMF) provides unprecedented insight into the MEMS sector.

WM2 presents detailed MEMS product forecasts for different types of devices (ink jet heads, pressure sensors, microphones, accelerometers, gyroscopes, MOEMS, micro displays, micro bolometers, microfluidics, RF MEMS, micro tips, micro fuel cells, new emerging MEMS devices). For each MEMS device covered forecasts are detailed by application (consumer, automotive, medical, life science, telecom, industrial, aeronautics and defense). Three updates per year are included in this new Yole product.

Companion database WMF describes more than 450 MEMS players worldwide including all business models (e.g., R&D, fab, fabless, foundry, integrated fab). WMF database features organization contact details and their top executives (job title, phone, and email) as well as technology information such as clean room size, production capacity, wafer size, processes, materials, and type of manufactured products.

Yole is offering a special bundle price of 3,590 Euros — a 20% discount off list — until May 8, 2008. For more information or to order, contact David Jourdan, +33 472 83 01 95.

April 22, 2008 — Angstron Materials LLC says it is the first advanced materials company to offer large quantities of single atomic layer thick nano-graphene platelets (NGPs). The carbon-based NGPs aim to be cost-effective, high-quality alternatives to nanotubes.

Angstron claims that NGPs outperform all other nanomaterials on the market: They demonstrate the highest thermal conductivity known today — five times that of copper — a capability that provides faster thermal dissipation; plus electrical conductivity similar to copper with a density four times lower — for lighter weight components. And, says Angstron, NGPs are 50 times stronger than steel with a surface area twice that of carbon nanotubes.

Angstron offers oxide-free, pristine NGP products in thicknesses ranging from 0.34 to 100 nanometers and widths of 0.5-20 microns. Exceptionally high length-to-thickness aspect ratios of up to 10,000 are available. In addition, the company can modify the chemistry of the nano-platelet surface to fine-tune electrical, thermal, mechanical, optical, magnetic, chemical and other key performance properties while maintaining precision control of platelet dimensions and other physical parameters.

Angstron’s engineered NPGs are available in several forms including raw materials and solutions. These solutions promise an exceptionally high loading and uniform dispersion without degrading viscosity. The NGPs can be blended with other nanomaterials to achieve higher loadings required for various forms of composite lamina as well as nanocomposites for load-bearing and functional applications.

Angstron can also tailor nanomaterial products to customers’ manufacturing processes, enhanced materials or device needs. The advanced materials specialist offers customers a total turnkey solution from application development and pilot quantities for test articles to scale-up for required production volumes. Angstron is currently working with companies to develop products for batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, light weight structural components as well as electromagnetic interference (EMI), radio magnetic indicator (RMI), electrostatic discharge (ESD), lightning strike and composite applications.

April 1, 2008 — Trident, a provider of inkjet printhead and ink production for commercial applications, says the design and stainless steel construction of its new 256Jet-D inkjet printhead allow for printing of a wide variety of direct write, printable electronic applications, including printing of traces, contacts, embedded passives and components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.) on printed circuit boards; flexible photovoltaics; fuel cells; batteries; and more.

According to the company, the 256Jet-D revolutionizes digital electronics material printing with its durable design. “Until now inkjet printing for direct write has been limited to R & D labs, partly because most inkjet systems have not been able to handle the corrosive and high viscosity fluids needed for many printable electronic applications,” says Steve Liker, Business Manager at Trident. “The stainless steel 256Jet-D provides this industrial durability and makes inkjet printing a very valuable proposition for printable electronics.”

Whereas previously agglomeration of printing materials during the deposition process meant that printhead nozzles would clog and printheads needed to be discarded and replaced, the nozzle plate of the 256Jet-D can simply be removed, cleaned and reassembled. End users can purchase multiple interchangeable nozzle plates in order to print distinct drop volume sizes with the same printhead. The 256Jet-D is available in two models enabling the printing of two distinct drop volume ranges: 5 – 40 picoliters and 50 – 80 picoliters in size.

The inert stainless steel construction of the 256Jet-D printhead resists the corrosive, aggressive alkaline and acidic materials often used in the deposition of printable electronic components. With the ability to be heated to 70°C and to jet fluids up to 30 cps, the 256Jet-D can print materials with twice as much viscosity as traditional inkjet systems, giving users wider flexibility in material loading and fluid formulation. Its rugged industrial design gives the 256Jet-D printhead an industry-leading lifespan of 90 billion firings.

Along with the 256Jet-D Trident offers a high-performance “Precision Drive Controller” (PDC) which promises to simplify customer integration by providing the electronics and software drive control of each of the printhead’s 256 jets with drop volume precision of plus or minus 2%. The 256Jet-D’s 256 individually controllable jets allow a greater number of drops to be deposited in one area, thereby increasing productivity.

January 22, 2008 — /SAN DIEGO, CA/ — RASIRCR, the steam purification company, releases research indicating that a new steam delivery method results in significant improvement in uniformity throughout the furnace from oxides as thin as 25 Angstroms to as thick as 150,000 Angstroms, eliminating the need for pyrolytic steam. The paper, Improved Uniformity through New Steam Delivery Method, was written by Jeffrey Spiegelman.

Semiconductor, flat-panel, solar, and optical devices all use oxide films as an essential feature. Uniformity of that oxide film is an important factor determining device yield. When oxygen is part of the process recipe, the partial pressure within the furnace tube will not be uniform. In the study, RASIRC found that by eliminating the oxygen gas, water vapor pressure stays relatively constant and film uniformity improves across the furnace.

Four facilities with horizontal furnaces and one with a vertical furnace participated in the study. Process recipe temperatures and run times were kept constant. Existing water vapor generating technologies were replaced with a RASIRC steamer and hydrogen and oxygen gases were eliminated. The total steam supplied was initially the same as the replaced technology and then adjusted to maximize performance.

Different facilities using different methods


A scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) image taken of ceria nanoparticles on a gold surface measuring 40 x 40 nanometers. (Image: Brookhaven National Lab)

December 18, 2007 — Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have unveiled important details about a class of catalysts that could help improve the performance of fuel cells. With the goal of producing “clean” hydrogen for fuel cell reactions in mind, the researchers determined why two next-generation catalysts including gold, cerium, titanium, and oxygen nanomaterials exhibit very high activity. Their results were published online in the December 14 edition of the journal Science.

A major problem with fuel cell technology is that the hydrogen-rich materials feeding the reaction often contain carbon monoxide (CO), which is formed during hydrogen production. Within a fuel cell, CO “poisons” the expensive platinum-based catalysts that convert hydrogen into electricity, deteriorating their efficiency over time and requiring their replacement. “Fuel cell reactions are very demanding processes that require very pure hydrogen,” said Brookhaven chemist Jose Rodriguez. “You need to find some way to eliminate the impurities, and that’s where the water-gas shift reaction comes into play.”

The “water-gas shift” (WGS) reaction combines CO with water to produce additional hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide. With the assistance of proper catalysts, this process can convert nearly 100 percent of the CO into carbon dioxide. Rodriguez’s group, which includes researchers from Brookhaven’s chemistry department, the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), and the Central University of Venezuela, studied two “next-generation” WGS nanoscale catalysts: gold-cerium oxide and gold-titanium oxide.

“These nanomaterials have recently been reported as very efficient catalysts for the WGS reaction,” said Brookhaven chemist Jan Hrbek. “This was a surprising finding because neither bulk gold nor bulk ceria and titania are active as catalysts.”
Image of ceria nanoparticles

To determine how these nanocatalysts work, the research team developed so-called “inverse model catalysts.” The WGS catalysts usually consist of gold nanoparticles dispersed on a ceria or titania surface — a small amount of the expensive metal placed on the cheap oxide. But to get a better look at the surface interactions, the researchers placed ceria or titania nanoparticles on a pure gold surface.

“For the first time, we established that although pure gold is inert for the WGS reaction, if you put a small amount of ceria or titanium on it, it becomes extremely active,” Rodriguez said. “So although these inverse catalysts are just models, they have catalytic activity comparable to, and sometimes better than, the real deal.”

Using a technique called x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at Brookhaven’s National Synchrotron Light Source, as well as scanning tunneling microscopy and calculations, the researchers discovered that the catalysts’ oxides are the reason for their high activity.

“The oxides have unique properties on the nanoscale and are able to break apart water molecules, which is the most difficult part of the WGS reaction,” Hrbek said. Added Brookhaven physicist Ping Liu: “After you dissociate the water, the reaction continues on to eliminate CO. But if you don’t have nanosized oxide particles, none of this will work.”


Altairnano says its lithium titanate packs provide energy in an environmentally sustainable manner and with safety characteristics not found in other batteries. (Photo: Altairnano)

October 8, 2007 — Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ALTI), and the lithium-ion battery systems the company is developing, has received no small endorsement from the U.S. Senate, which has approved $5 million funding for a 2.5 megawatt stationary power supply for the U.S. Navy.

The project involves development of large, advanced lithium titanate energy storage packs to replace diesel-powered generators on the Navy’s largest ships. Altairnano’s lithium titanate energy storage packs provide energy in an environmentally sustainable manner and with safety characteristics not found in other batteries, according to the company.

Also approved by the Senate was a $2 million project for Altair’s development of nanosensors that can detect explosive materials and chemical warfare agents that might threaten soldiers in combat, with more accuracy and reliability.

“Funding for these projects helps Altair Nanotechnologies employ 90 highly-qualified staff in the Reno area, expand the high-tech work going on in Nevada, and could provide significant benefits to our armed forces,” Alan J. Gotcher, Altairnano president and chief executive, said in a news release.

Gotcher has been promoting his company’s materials before Congress for years, including during Congressional testimony in 2006, when he talked about the Navy’s plan to produce a new generation of all-electric drive ships powered by fuel cells. For that to happen, he said, “there is a need for a source of instant power-on-demand, sustainable for up to half an hour in order for the fuel cells to reach their normal operational temperature.”

The problem so far with lithium ion batteries involves their safety. It is generally accepted that the future of the auto industry appears now to be powered by batteries containing lithium-ion, the material already in wide use for long-lasting laptops and cell phones.

But, as anybody who remembers last year’s exploding Dell laptops and subsequent recall of 4 million batteries, Li-ion has a few problems to overcome before it is ready to power automobiles. But the race is on and solutions powered by companies such as Altair and A123 Systems are on the horizon.

“The hyperbole about nanotechnology is tremendous, but the potential for this technology to change our lives in many fundamental and positive ways is real,” Gotcher had told Congress. “For instance, our innovative nano-structured electrode materials for Li-ion batteries will enable realistic production of fully- electric vehicles unlike any available today. Those vehicles will, in turn, help us break our dependence on foreign oil.”

October 5, 2007 – AmberWave Systems and the U. of California/Santa Barbara (UCSB) have agreed to collaborate on and fund materials science research targeting mesoporous materials, in a move to open non-semiconductor business doors for the company.

Mesoporous materials are a class of engineered materials including silicas, refractory oxides, carbons, and multi-component composites, possessing qualities of high porosity, processability, functionability, and single- and double-digit nanometer pore sizes. Applications being pursued at UCSB include electrical generation and storage in the form of fuel cells, high-performance batteries, and ultracapacitors.

“Early identification, in-licensing, and development of materials innovations are key to our growth strategy,” said AmberWave president/CEO Richie Faubert in a statement, adding that the UCSB platform “gives AmberWave a springboard into a broad range of markets.”

Amberwave is known for its strained silicon IP, having signed a multiyear licensing deal with Intel back in March. It also working with Purdue U. to jointly develop technologies for integrating semiconductor devices on III-V materials.

August 27, 2007 – Months after initiating a policy that requires government approval to invest in or export certain technologies, the Korean government has narrowed its definition to 40 core “technologies of national interest” in a variety of industries, with DRAM and NAND flash chipmaking at the top of the list.

A committee working with surveys and recommendations from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Construction and Transportation came up with the final list of 40, according to the Chosun Ilbo. Most notably, the law protects the technology for designing/processing/assembling/inspecting DRAM (=80nm) and NAND flash (=70nm) processes. Other technologies under the law relate to vehicle fuel cells, FINEX steel, and shipbuilding for liquid natural gas carriers.

Four technologies were pinpointed in electronics and electrical engineering, eight from the automobile industry, six from the steel industry, seven from shipbuilding, four from nuclear power generation, six from information and telecommunications and four from the space industry, the paper noted.

The government likely laid down the law in these areas to help stem a “technology drain” ongoing for several years, and which has bled into more leading-edge areas, notes Gartner Dataquest analyst Chang-Soo Ki in a report. Under this new policy, any technology that has received R&D support from the government needs committee approval before it can be sold or moved abroad. Any designated technology that is purely private still needs to report any transaction to the government — though if the technology is considered to have an impact on Korean security or economy the government can nullify the technology export, or require it be returned to its original condition. Failure to adhere to these steps could mean risking the same penalty assigned to industry spies, the analyst firm wrote.

“With this law in effect, Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor will likely be directly affected with regard to co-investing, selling or moving their technology abroad,” the Gartner analyst noted, adding that the law probably wouldn’t derail any upgrade plans for operations already overseas.

August 24, 2007 — The U.S. Patent Office has granted Integrated Sensing Systems Inc. (ISSYS) a utility patent (US 7,228,735) titled “Fluid sensing device with integrated bypass and process therefor.” A major hurdle in commercializing microfluidic devices has been their limiting low flow rates, the company says. This patent describes a new method and design which allow microfluidic sensors to monitor and test relatively high flow rates of fluids. And, the company asserts, this invention greatly reduces the complexity of microfluidic packaging for high-flow applications.

Dr. Nader Najafi, ISSYS CEO, stated that “this patent is an important element in ISSYS’ comprehensive IP portfolio for fluidic applications. Our patents play a key role in providing major competitive barriers to entry at different levels from processing, to packaging, to final applications.” ISSYS

This patent also goes into detail on applying this technology to fuel cells including Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) and reformed fuel cells. The methanol sensor is based on ISSYS’ Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) technology. The sensor is used to improve the efficiency of the DMFC by keeping the methanol to water concentration at an optimum level throughout the operating life of the fuel cell.