FUEL CELL ELECTRODES

Unidym is developing CNT-based fuel cell electrodes to address near-term needs for powering portable electronics and, longer term, to support potential markets associated with the energy economy.

Fuel cell performance is determined almost entirely by the behavior of materials at the nanometer scale, with the primary sources of fuel cell inefficiencies arising from kinetic, resistive and mass-transfer losses. The use of thin nanotube networks as the foundation of fuel cell electrodes minimizes these inefficiencies and enhances performance. In addition, CNTs may reduce the amount of platinum catalyst needed in the fuel cell, thereby leading to potentially dramatic reductions in fuel cell cost.

Unidym is developing its CNT-based fuel cell electrodes in collaboration with Johnson Matthey and Motorola. Recent prototypes outperform commercially available fuel cell electrodes. The company expects CNT-based fuel cell electrodes to initially be deployed in methanol fuel cells.