Eco Factor: Researchers develop promising fuel cell technology for future cars.
A new process for storing and generating hydrogen to run fuel cells in cars has been invented by chemical engineers at Purdue University. The process, given the name hydrothermolysis, uses a powdered chemical called ammonia borane, which has one of the highest hydrogen contents of all solid materials.
The new process provides exceptionally high hydrogen yield values at near the fuel cell operating temperatures without using a catalyst, making it ideal for hydrogen-powered cars. The process combines hydrolysis and thermolysis, two hydrogen generating processes that aren’t practical themselves for vehicle applications.
Ammonia borane contains 19.6 percent hydrogen, a high weight percentage that means a relatively small quantity and volume of the material are needed to store large amounts of hydrogen. The key to efficiently release hydrogen from the compound has been discovered by these researchers.
Future work on the technology will explore scaling up the reactor to the size required for a vehicle to drive 350 miles before refueling. The technology may also be used to produce hydrogen for fuel cells to recharge batteries in portable electronics, such as notebook computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, hand-held medical diagnostic devices and defibrillators.
Via: Purdue University [Press Release]
