Category Archives: Fuel Cells

Oct. 31, 2005 — PolyFuel Inc., a Mountain View, Calif., developer of fuel cell membranes, announced that its hydrocarbon DMFC (direct methanol fuel cell) membrane has passed the 5,000-hour mark in durability testing.

“Membrane durability has always been one of the key technical challenges faced by fuel cell manufacturers, as it translates directly to the lifetime of a fuel cell,” said Jim Balcom, president and CEO of PolyFuel, in a prepared statement. “In applications targeted for portable fuel cells, consumers are acclimatized to battery lifetimes in the 2,000 to 3,000 hour range for their portable devices.” Balcom said passing that threshold was a crucial benchmark.

Fuel cell membranes are engineered films of various plastic polymers — resembling stiff cellophane — that when covered with a catalyst material, enable fuels such as methanol or hydrogen to generate an electric current capable of powering electronic devices, or even automobiles. Unlike batteries, which must be recharged from a wall outlet, fuel cells are simply resupplied with a new fuel cartridge.

In the case of portable electronics, the methanol fuel — a type of alcohol — is expected to be supplied in the form of small, lightweight, snap-in cartridges that will share shelf space at stores with batteries and cigarette lighters.

– David Forman

October 27, 2005 – The inventor of the blue LED and a research team from Tokyo U. of Science said yesterday that they have succeeded in producing hydrogen from water through the use of gallium nitride (GaN) crystals, reported the Nikkei English News. If commercializable, this technology is expected to lead to the development of fuel cells that run on water and can be used in a wide range of products, from automobiles to computers.

GaN crystals are being studied for such uses as light sources for next-generation DVD devices. This is part of a research project of the Japan Science and Technology Agency – a program overseen by Shuji Nakamura, who created the blue LED and works as professor of materials at the U. of California, Santa Barbara.

The researchers connected GaN crystals with platinum using wire, then immersed these in water. When light is applied to the GaN, electricity flows through the water and causes it to decompose into oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis.

The rate of conversion efficiency, which is the ratio of hydrogen produced to the energy used to shine the light, is still a low 0.5% to 0.7%.

“Theoretically, this can be raised to more than 20%,” said Kazuhiro Ohkawa, a professor in the physics department at the Tokyo University of Science, who played a leading role in the research. The minimum conversion efficiency needed for commercialization is said to be 20%.

The team plans to continue work on the project to make improvements.

Oct. 18, 2005 – Integrated Sensing Systems Inc. (ISSYS) of Ypsilanti, Mich., announced that it has signed a partnership contract for its Micro Density Meter products with KEM – Kyoto Electronics Manufacturing Co. of Kyoto, Japan.

The products ISSYS will supply are based on microfluidic technology that the company says offers advantages in system and sample size, cost and reliability over current approaches to fluidic density and chemical concentration measurement.

In addition to the supply agreement, ISSYS and KEM are working together to develop methanol concentrations sensors for the direct methanol fuel cell market.

October 12, 2005 – Nanosys Inc. has entered into a multiyear development agreement with Sharp Corp., Osaka, Japan, to develop display technologies incorporating Nanosys’ proprietary nanotechnology. Under the terms of this development agreement, Sharp will collaborate and support efforts at both Nanosys and Sharp. No other details were disclosed.

This is the second major collaboration agreement announced between Nanosys and Sharp over the past 12 months; the first agreement focused on developing a new fuel cell technology for portable electronics.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with Sharp on yet another significant product opportunity for our technology,” said Calvin Chow, Nanosys’ Chief Executive Officer.

Oct. 11, 2005 – Palo Alto, Calif.-based Nanosys Inc. announced it has entered into a multi-year development agreement with Sharp Corp. of Osaka, Japan, to develop display technologies incorporating Nanosys’ proprietary nanotechnology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sharp will collaborate and support efforts at both Nanosys and Sharp. This is the second major collaboration agreement announced between Nanosys and Sharp over the past 12 months. The first agreement focused on developing a new fuel cell technology for portable electronics. No other details were disclosed.

Sep. 27, 2005 – PolyFuel, a maker of engineered membranes for fuel cells, announced that Anthony Kucernak has been appointed to the company’s technical advisory board, joining John Appleby and Robert Savinell.

The board is focused on developing technical insights about fuel cells, the role of the fuel cell membranes and systems, and how PolyFuel can optimally contribute to moving the industry forward.

Aug. 17, 2005 — Integrated Sensing Systems Inc. (ISSYS) of Ypsilanti, Michigan, announced it is developing small methanol concentration sensors for the direct methanol fuel cell market.

The company says it is both developing its own products and working with Japan-based Kyoto Electronics Manufacturing Company on a second version.

The sensors are also intended to be used in other applications where a low-cost, accurate, small, inline density or chemical concentration sensor is required. ISSYS says the industrial version should be ready for sale by the first quarter of 2006 and the methanol fuel cell version is intended for sampling by the third quarter of 2006.

July 20, 2005 — The Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange is proving a popular spot for nano-related companies this summer.

Oxonica plc, an Oxfordshire, England, nanomaterials developer, placed shares on the AIM today. It is the second nano-related firm to do so this month.

Oxonica raised about $12.4 million after expenses by placing 8,658,796 new shares. In addition, shareholders converted loans of about $3.5 million into shares. The lead investors in the placing were Richard Farleigh, Foresight 2 VCT plc, and Stagecoach Group plc.

The company was spun out of the University of Oxford in 1999 to commercialize nanomaterial-related intellectual property developed by Peter Dobson and Gareth Wakefield. It has had recent success with its Envirox fuel nanocatalyst, which has been adopted by bus operator Stagecoach UK, as well as its Optisol UV absorber, which is used by Boots PLC in its Soltan Facial Sun Defense Cream.

Oxonica, which is selling about 23 percent of its stock, will have a market capitalization of about $61.5 million.

The company said the proceeds of the IPO will be used for financing the development, operations and marketing of its products, for funding regulatory and product testing requirements, and for further funding of R&D and its new product pipeline.

Earlier this month Polyfuel, a Mountain View, Calif., developer of fuel cell membranes, placed shares on the AIM, where it raised about $14 million.

— David Forman

June 20, 2005 — Honda Motor Co. Ltd. of Japan announced last week that its FCX fuel cell vehicle has received motor vehicle type certification from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The ministry enacted safety and environmental standards for vehicles powered by pressurized hydrogen on March 31. Honda’s FX vehicle received certification shortly thereafter.

Previously, fuel cell vehicles were certified on a case-by-case basis for testing on public roads, according to a Honda release. The new certification is for vehicles ultimately intended for public sale. Honda has delivered a total of 19 FCX fuel cell vehicles to customers in the U.S. and Japan since December 2002.

June 13, 2005 — Polyfuel Inc., a Mountain View, Calif., company that makes fuel cell membranes, plans to list on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange sometime this month, according to a Financial Times report. A Polyfuel spokesperson confirmed the report but declined to elaborate.

The listing could raise more than $21 million and could value the company at more than $72 million. Membranes are at the core of a fuel cell. Like the microprocessor in a computer, their performance sets a baseline for the performance of the entire system.

Polyfuel has developed different types of membranes that are specifically engineered for distinct markets.

In 2003, it introduced a membrane for direct methanol fuel cells designed to be smaller and last longer than those ordinarily used. In October 2004, it unveiled a membrane for hydrogen fuel cells designed to provide better performance and durability for automotive and industrial uses.

The hydrogen membrane uses a lattice of nano-structured hydrocarbons to support a grid of conductive blocks through which protons flow as the fuel cell generates electricity.

– David Forman