- Email: [email protected]
Neah creates first hybrid electrolyte aerobic DMFC
NEWS purchase up to $10 million of Neah Power stock. In addition, Wearology Ltd, a division of the Indian-based Poddar Group, and associated entities, have committed to invest up to $0.5m in Neah Power. ‘The confidence shown by the financial community in Neah’s patent-protected technology and our commercial engagements is truly gratifying,’ says Dr Chris D’Couto, the firm’s president/CEO, of the Optimus deal. ‘This major commitment to the company should enable us to quickly complete manifold renewable energy solutions for our customers, and meet our corporate goals including listing on the AMEX.’ He sees the investment as an endorsement of the untapped market opportunity ahead of the company. D’Couto and Rohitashwa Poddar, managing director of The Poddar Group in Mumbai, India, announced the covenant jointly, saying the two companies’ business plans support their joint philosophy of environmentally friendly, pollution-free businesses. ‘This capital infusion… facilitates funding for production of prototypes for various companies, such as Hobie Boats, EKO Vehicles of India, and others which we have joint venture deals with,’ says D’Couto. ‘This is an exciting opportunity for the Poddar Group to participate in what will be a tectonic shift in global energy production,’ adds Rohit Poddar. ‘All of the Poddar Group’s many businesses will benefit as a result.’ Neah Power Systems is developing a unique, silicon-based design for its micro direct methanol fuel cells that enable higher power densities, lower cost and compact form-factors. The company’s micro fuel cell system can run in aerobic and anaerobic modes. Contact: Neah Power Systems Inc, Bothell, Washington, USA. Tel: +1 425 424 3324, www.neahpower.com The Poddar Group: www.poddargroup.com Wearology Ltd: www.wearology.com
Intelligent Energy to push commercialization with $30m investment
U
K-based fuel cell developer Intelligent Energy has raised US$30 million in a new funding round, despite the very tough global economic conditions. The money raised from both existing and new investors will be used to provide for the next stage of the company’s growth, as it accelerates the commercialization of its fuel cell power systems into its targeted mass markets. 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Intelligent Energy’s range of clean power system platforms, based on its proprietary PEM fuel cell technology, has enabled it to target global mass markets through strong partnerships with ‘blue chip’ customers that include Scottish & Southern Energy and Suzuki Motor Corporation. ‘There now exists a stronger sense of realism within the clean energy sector, with major players now expected to produce tangible results,’ explains Intelligent Energy’s chief executive, Henri Winand. ‘Only companies with solid execution and scalable businesses with clear pathways to commercialization have been able to attract financing in such a challenging environment.’ Winand sees the new investment as a testament to the continued excellence in product development and genuine commercial progress that Intelligent Energy has demonstrated with its partners. He continues: ‘All our target markets offer very significant growth opportunities on a global scale, and with these funds we will continue to accelerate the commercialization phase of our business plan, by driving the delivery of our blue-chip partners’ clean fuel and power products to their consumer markets.’ The recent round of fund-raising will be followed by an open offer to all existing shareholders later in the year. Contact: Intelligent Energy, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK. Tel: +44 1509 225863, www.intelligent-energy.com
Hydrogenics cancels APC agreement
O
ntario-based Hydrogenics has formally notified American Power Conversion Corporation (APC), based in Rhode Island, of the termination of the manufacturing and supply agreement the companies signed in August 2006. The supply agreement provided that APC would purchase up to 500 HyPM™ XR 12 kW fuel cell power modules from Hydrogenics [FCB, October 2006]. These would be integrated into APC’s NCPI solutions, specifically its InfraStruXure architecture, over a three-year period, subject to the terms of the supply agreement. In the notice of termination, Hydrogenics has requested a termination payment of approximately US$2.1 million by APC. This is determined by a formula in the supply agreement, based on the number of products for which APC has issued orders and paid for under the supply agreement. ‘We remain committed to working with APC towards an amicable resolution of APC’s obligations under the supply agreement,’ comments Daryl Wilson, president/CEO of Hydrogenics. ‘We strongly believe that despite the termination
of the supply agreement, our independent efforts over the past three years have resulted in the development of significant expertise and know-how, which will allow us to build on and benefit other fuel cell products, applications and solutions.’ In other news, Hydrogenics reports that that General Motors Company has acquired ownership and control of 11.4 million common shares of Hydrogenics Corporation from General Motors Corporation. This transfer relates to the sale of substantially all of the assets of GM under US bankruptcy proceedings, and is the same stake which had been owned by GM since October 2001. The acquired shares represent approximately 12.3% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Hydrogenics. Contact: Hydrogenics Corporation, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 361 3660, www.hydrogenics.com
USFCC forms industry standards task force
T
he US Fuel Cell Council has formed a new Industry Standards task force to address, review, and evaluate existing industry protocols for overlaps and discrepancies. The initial focus will be on PEM fuel cells, although other types will be investigated depending on participant interest. ‘The task force’s mission will be to compile test protocols, identify discrepancies, and to possibly propose a method to unify protocols where appropriate,’ says Tony Blaine, chair of the new group. The task force is part of the USFCC Materials & Components Working Group. This group works to address issues in the production and supply of materials and components, and their specification and standardization, which will lead to a reliable supply of components and sub-assemblies for fuel cell stacks.
US Fuel Cell Council: www.usfcc.com
RESEARCH
Neah creates first hybrid electrolyte aerobic DMFC
U
S-based Neah Power Systems has demonstrated an air-based fuel cell for aerobic applications. This system, when fully developed, is expected to have higher energy density than
September 2009
NEWS any currently available direct methanol anaerobic fuel cell, and could enable Neah to pursue various additional consumer markets. The company has also unveiled a prototype of its unique methanol-nitric fuel cell. ‘This [hybrid electrolyte aerobic] technology is differentiated in performance and architecture,’ explains Dr Chris D’Couto, the firm’s president/CEO, ‘in that it combines Neah’s unique liquid electrolyte and 3D silicon electrode technology, with the manifold inherent benefits in cost and manufacturability of integrated circuit manufacturing, with proton conduction membrane for proton conduction and gas liquid separation.’ In so doing, Neah believes that it has created the first hybrid electrolyte fuel cell, offering gains over either liquid or solid electrolyte technology. The company uses a unique, patented, silicon-based design for its micro fuel cells that enables higher power densities, lower cost and compact form-factors. Neah Power recently revealed it had successfully tested an anaerobic (or non-air breathing) direct methanol fuel cell, in work which was primarily funded by the Office of Naval Research [FCB, July 2009]. Meanwhile, Neah Power unveiled its potentially disruptive methanol-nitric fuel cell, at the recent 11th Electrochemical Power Sources R&D Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland. In his presentation Dr Tsali Cross, the firm’s VP of engineering, described the development and characterization of porous silicon-based methanol-nitric fuel cell prototype systems for portable military applications. The research, funded by the Office of Naval Research, also looks promising for a formic acid-nitric version. Contact: Neah Power Systems Inc, Bothell, Washington, USA. Tel: +1 425 424 3324, www.neahpower.com 11th Electrochemical Power Sources R&D Symposium: www.11ecpss.betterbtr.com/index.html
Showa Denko develops Pt-substitute catalysts, bipolar-type separators
I
n Japan, Showa Denko KK (SDK) has developed new platinum-substitute catalysts for PEM fuel cells, comprising a niobium oxide based catalyst and a titanium oxide based catalyst, each containing carbon and nitrogen atoms. SDK has also developed new technologies to produce low-cost carbon separators that will increase the output
September 2009
density of PEM fuel cells. Work on both developments was supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The new catalysts were developed in a project led by Professor Kenichiro Ota of Yokohama National University. They exhibit what is claimed to be the world’s highest levels so far of efficiency in terms of open-circuit voltage, at 1.00 V or more (versus 1.03–1.05 V for Pt-based catalysts), and also durability (500 h or more, and ongoing) among Pt-substitute catalysts. Furthermore, the anticipated production cost of ¥500 (US$5.50) per kW or less is 1/20 or less when compared with the present cost of Pt-based catalyst. As the newly developed Nb- and Ti-based catalysts have lower solubility than platinum, they should lead to substantial cost reductions and longer life for PEM fuel cells. Based on very-fine-particle manufacturing technologies and high-conductivity carbon materials, SDK will further improve the catalyst performance and establish volume production technologies to encourage the use of the new catalysts in fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), mobile devices, and residential cogeneration applications. Furthermore, SDK’s new technology to produce lower-cost, lighter-weight carbon separators has been developed by making substantial changes in the process and raw materials. The company has established a technology to bond two boron-doped carbon sheets with high precision by heating a specialty adhesive resin. Based on this technology, SDK has developed a new ‘bipolar-type’ carbon separator that integrates the anode side (along which the hydrogen flows), the cathode side (oxygen), and cooling-water channels to remove by-product heat. The new ‘bipolar-type’ carbon separators mean that the packing process for sealing the cooling-water channels between the two separator sheets can be eliminated. Also, the contact resistance can be reduced by 90%, and the wall thickness can be reduced to approximately 0.1 mm as a result of the integrated structure and accompanying reinforcement effect. In addition, gas diffusion can be facilitated by a long-lasting hydrophilic treatment, which encourages drainage of by-product water from the separator surface. In this way the fuel cell output can be increased by around 30% compared with conventional designs. SDK has also developed a new collector, based on press molding of proprietary graphite with high conductivity and packing property. The new collector has conductivity equal to that of a sintered-carbon-based collector, and is lower in cost than collectors based on precious-metal-plated metallic sheets or sintered carbon sheets. Showa Denko KK: www.sdk.co.jp
Imperial focus on fault-tolerant, resilient fuel cell electrodes
A
new design for fuel cells could make them fault-tolerant and resilient to adverse environmental and internal influences. A team led by chemist Anthony Kucernak at Imperial College London in the UK will redesign fuel cell stacks so they can switch out bad units and allow the cell to continue operation. Current fuel cells are designed with electrodes connected in series, so the weakest link in the cell dictates performance and reliability. ‘We will do it with a series parallel geometry,’ says Kucernak. ‘The stack will look like a normal stack, but the electrodes will be in parallel with one another.’ Furthermore, while electrodes in a current fuel cell stack are integrated with one expensive insulated-gate bipolar transistor, the Imperial team proposes integrating less expensive multiple field-effect transistors with every electrode in the stack, according to a report in The Engineer. ‘The idea is to replace one monolithic piece of electronics with lots of smaller ones, which are actually a lot cheaper per amount of power they handle,’ continues Kucernak. This will make the entire fuel cell stack more reliable, because its condition will not depend on one transistor. The fuel cell design could also make it possible to nurse poorly performing electrodes. Kucernak says that the power electronics could look after the condition of each electrode it is associated with. ‘If an electrode isn’t performing particularly well, rather than have it on a full duty cycle, we can ramp it back so the electrode isn’t put under as large a strain as the other electrodes,’ he explains. Kucernak adds that this will make fuel cells run for much longer. ‘When you have any sort of system, if you drive it at full performance, then it will fail much quicker,’ he notes. ‘But if you can actually not run it at the full performance, but at half performance, you might be able to eke it out for quite a bit longer.’ The four-year project, sponsored by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, includes partners Applied Technologies Capital, SPC, Imperial Innovations, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).
Contact: Professor Anthony Kucernak, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 7594 5831, Email: [email protected], www. imperial.ac.uk/chemistry
Fuel Cells Bulletin
11
Intelligent Energy to push commercialization with $30m investment
U
K-based fuel cell developer Intelligent Energy has raised US$30 million in a new funding round, despite the very tough global economic conditions. The money raised from both existing and new investors will be used to provide for the next stage of the company’s growth, as it accelerates the commercialization of its fuel cell power systems into its targeted mass markets. 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Intelligent Energy’s range of clean power system platforms, based on its proprietary PEM fuel cell technology, has enabled it to target global mass markets through strong partnerships with ‘blue chip’ customers that include Scottish & Southern Energy and Suzuki Motor Corporation. ‘There now exists a stronger sense of realism within the clean energy sector, with major players now expected to produce tangible results,’ explains Intelligent Energy’s chief executive, Henri Winand. ‘Only companies with solid execution and scalable businesses with clear pathways to commercialization have been able to attract financing in such a challenging environment.’ Winand sees the new investment as a testament to the continued excellence in product development and genuine commercial progress that Intelligent Energy has demonstrated with its partners. He continues: ‘All our target markets offer very significant growth opportunities on a global scale, and with these funds we will continue to accelerate the commercialization phase of our business plan, by driving the delivery of our blue-chip partners’ clean fuel and power products to their consumer markets.’ The recent round of fund-raising will be followed by an open offer to all existing shareholders later in the year. Contact: Intelligent Energy, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK. Tel: +44 1509 225863, www.intelligent-energy.com
Hydrogenics cancels APC agreement
O
ntario-based Hydrogenics has formally notified American Power Conversion Corporation (APC), based in Rhode Island, of the termination of the manufacturing and supply agreement the companies signed in August 2006. The supply agreement provided that APC would purchase up to 500 HyPM™ XR 12 kW fuel cell power modules from Hydrogenics [FCB, October 2006]. These would be integrated into APC’s NCPI solutions, specifically its InfraStruXure architecture, over a three-year period, subject to the terms of the supply agreement. In the notice of termination, Hydrogenics has requested a termination payment of approximately US$2.1 million by APC. This is determined by a formula in the supply agreement, based on the number of products for which APC has issued orders and paid for under the supply agreement. ‘We remain committed to working with APC towards an amicable resolution of APC’s obligations under the supply agreement,’ comments Daryl Wilson, president/CEO of Hydrogenics. ‘We strongly believe that despite the termination
of the supply agreement, our independent efforts over the past three years have resulted in the development of significant expertise and know-how, which will allow us to build on and benefit other fuel cell products, applications and solutions.’ In other news, Hydrogenics reports that that General Motors Company has acquired ownership and control of 11.4 million common shares of Hydrogenics Corporation from General Motors Corporation. This transfer relates to the sale of substantially all of the assets of GM under US bankruptcy proceedings, and is the same stake which had been owned by GM since October 2001. The acquired shares represent approximately 12.3% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Hydrogenics. Contact: Hydrogenics Corporation, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 361 3660, www.hydrogenics.com
USFCC forms industry standards task force
T
he US Fuel Cell Council has formed a new Industry Standards task force to address, review, and evaluate existing industry protocols for overlaps and discrepancies. The initial focus will be on PEM fuel cells, although other types will be investigated depending on participant interest. ‘The task force’s mission will be to compile test protocols, identify discrepancies, and to possibly propose a method to unify protocols where appropriate,’ says Tony Blaine, chair of the new group. The task force is part of the USFCC Materials & Components Working Group. This group works to address issues in the production and supply of materials and components, and their specification and standardization, which will lead to a reliable supply of components and sub-assemblies for fuel cell stacks.
US Fuel Cell Council: www.usfcc.com
RESEARCH
Neah creates first hybrid electrolyte aerobic DMFC
U
S-based Neah Power Systems has demonstrated an air-based fuel cell for aerobic applications. This system, when fully developed, is expected to have higher energy density than
September 2009
NEWS any currently available direct methanol anaerobic fuel cell, and could enable Neah to pursue various additional consumer markets. The company has also unveiled a prototype of its unique methanol-nitric fuel cell. ‘This [hybrid electrolyte aerobic] technology is differentiated in performance and architecture,’ explains Dr Chris D’Couto, the firm’s president/CEO, ‘in that it combines Neah’s unique liquid electrolyte and 3D silicon electrode technology, with the manifold inherent benefits in cost and manufacturability of integrated circuit manufacturing, with proton conduction membrane for proton conduction and gas liquid separation.’ In so doing, Neah believes that it has created the first hybrid electrolyte fuel cell, offering gains over either liquid or solid electrolyte technology. The company uses a unique, patented, silicon-based design for its micro fuel cells that enables higher power densities, lower cost and compact form-factors. Neah Power recently revealed it had successfully tested an anaerobic (or non-air breathing) direct methanol fuel cell, in work which was primarily funded by the Office of Naval Research [FCB, July 2009]. Meanwhile, Neah Power unveiled its potentially disruptive methanol-nitric fuel cell, at the recent 11th Electrochemical Power Sources R&D Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland. In his presentation Dr Tsali Cross, the firm’s VP of engineering, described the development and characterization of porous silicon-based methanol-nitric fuel cell prototype systems for portable military applications. The research, funded by the Office of Naval Research, also looks promising for a formic acid-nitric version. Contact: Neah Power Systems Inc, Bothell, Washington, USA. Tel: +1 425 424 3324, www.neahpower.com 11th Electrochemical Power Sources R&D Symposium: www.11ecpss.betterbtr.com/index.html
Showa Denko develops Pt-substitute catalysts, bipolar-type separators
I
n Japan, Showa Denko KK (SDK) has developed new platinum-substitute catalysts for PEM fuel cells, comprising a niobium oxide based catalyst and a titanium oxide based catalyst, each containing carbon and nitrogen atoms. SDK has also developed new technologies to produce low-cost carbon separators that will increase the output
September 2009
density of PEM fuel cells. Work on both developments was supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The new catalysts were developed in a project led by Professor Kenichiro Ota of Yokohama National University. They exhibit what is claimed to be the world’s highest levels so far of efficiency in terms of open-circuit voltage, at 1.00 V or more (versus 1.03–1.05 V for Pt-based catalysts), and also durability (500 h or more, and ongoing) among Pt-substitute catalysts. Furthermore, the anticipated production cost of ¥500 (US$5.50) per kW or less is 1/20 or less when compared with the present cost of Pt-based catalyst. As the newly developed Nb- and Ti-based catalysts have lower solubility than platinum, they should lead to substantial cost reductions and longer life for PEM fuel cells. Based on very-fine-particle manufacturing technologies and high-conductivity carbon materials, SDK will further improve the catalyst performance and establish volume production technologies to encourage the use of the new catalysts in fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), mobile devices, and residential cogeneration applications. Furthermore, SDK’s new technology to produce lower-cost, lighter-weight carbon separators has been developed by making substantial changes in the process and raw materials. The company has established a technology to bond two boron-doped carbon sheets with high precision by heating a specialty adhesive resin. Based on this technology, SDK has developed a new ‘bipolar-type’ carbon separator that integrates the anode side (along which the hydrogen flows), the cathode side (oxygen), and cooling-water channels to remove by-product heat. The new ‘bipolar-type’ carbon separators mean that the packing process for sealing the cooling-water channels between the two separator sheets can be eliminated. Also, the contact resistance can be reduced by 90%, and the wall thickness can be reduced to approximately 0.1 mm as a result of the integrated structure and accompanying reinforcement effect. In addition, gas diffusion can be facilitated by a long-lasting hydrophilic treatment, which encourages drainage of by-product water from the separator surface. In this way the fuel cell output can be increased by around 30% compared with conventional designs. SDK has also developed a new collector, based on press molding of proprietary graphite with high conductivity and packing property. The new collector has conductivity equal to that of a sintered-carbon-based collector, and is lower in cost than collectors based on precious-metal-plated metallic sheets or sintered carbon sheets. Showa Denko KK: www.sdk.co.jp
Imperial focus on fault-tolerant, resilient fuel cell electrodes
A
new design for fuel cells could make them fault-tolerant and resilient to adverse environmental and internal influences. A team led by chemist Anthony Kucernak at Imperial College London in the UK will redesign fuel cell stacks so they can switch out bad units and allow the cell to continue operation. Current fuel cells are designed with electrodes connected in series, so the weakest link in the cell dictates performance and reliability. ‘We will do it with a series parallel geometry,’ says Kucernak. ‘The stack will look like a normal stack, but the electrodes will be in parallel with one another.’ Furthermore, while electrodes in a current fuel cell stack are integrated with one expensive insulated-gate bipolar transistor, the Imperial team proposes integrating less expensive multiple field-effect transistors with every electrode in the stack, according to a report in The Engineer. ‘The idea is to replace one monolithic piece of electronics with lots of smaller ones, which are actually a lot cheaper per amount of power they handle,’ continues Kucernak. This will make the entire fuel cell stack more reliable, because its condition will not depend on one transistor. The fuel cell design could also make it possible to nurse poorly performing electrodes. Kucernak says that the power electronics could look after the condition of each electrode it is associated with. ‘If an electrode isn’t performing particularly well, rather than have it on a full duty cycle, we can ramp it back so the electrode isn’t put under as large a strain as the other electrodes,’ he explains. Kucernak adds that this will make fuel cells run for much longer. ‘When you have any sort of system, if you drive it at full performance, then it will fail much quicker,’ he notes. ‘But if you can actually not run it at the full performance, but at half performance, you might be able to eke it out for quite a bit longer.’ The four-year project, sponsored by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, includes partners Applied Technologies Capital, SPC, Imperial Innovations, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).
Contact: Professor Anthony Kucernak, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 7594 5831, Email: [email protected], www. imperial.ac.uk/chemistry
Fuel Cells Bulletin
11