Fuel cell to replace rechargeable batteries?
Posted 2/21/2002 - 9:17PM, by zAmboni
Can you imagine two day talk time and two week standby time for your cell phone? Lawrence Livermore National Labs have developed and demonstrated a fuel cell which may deliver that type of power. Their fuel cell provides at least 3 times more operating time and is designed to be half the cost and 30 percent of the weight of existing rechargeable power sources.
The heart of this miniature power source utilizes a thin layer of electrolyte material sandwiched between electrode materials containing appropriately proportioned catalyst materials. Microfluidic control elements distribute methyl alcohol fuel mixtures through a silicon chip over one electrode surface while air is simultaneously distributed over the other electrode. Integrated resistive heaters allow heating of the electrolyte-electrode layers, thereby increasing the conduction of catalytically generated protons from the fuel supply across the electrolyte to the air breathing electrode, where they combine with oxygen to generate electrical current.
They estimate the fuel cell price would be in the $1.50-$3/watt-hour range. Optimizations to the fuel cell may even give a charge lifetime up to 15(!) times longer than current rechargeables. The fuel cell can be recharged by just slapping in a new methyl alcohol cartridge, no need to be tied down to an electrical outlet.
One more advantage of this fuel cell would be increased energy capacity which c