Originally published January 31 2005
The University of Michigan is developing ways of using microfabrication to produce fuel cells inexpensively
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
University of Michigan researchers are interested in cutting costs on fuel cells and they think that microfabrication is the key. By "growing" structures instead of producing them with normal manufacturing methods, they hope to cut the costs of fuel cell membrane construction and cut the costs of fuel cells from $10,000 per kilowatt to $1,000 per kilowatt.
University of Michigan researchers are developing ways that could produce fuel cells at a fraction of the current cost by using microfabrication rather than traditional manufacturing processes.
"We arrived at a system that works and uses steps that are very similar to those used to make microelectronic devices," said Levi Thompson, U-M chemical engineering professor and leader of the research team working on the technology.
Image: Using this device design, it is possible, for the first time, to demonstrate a truly integrated micro fuel cell based power supply.
"One could envisage being able to modify an existing semiconductor or microelectronics fabrication plant to produce fuel cells," Thompson said.
Lowering production cost is critical to being able to use the technology in real-world applications such as hand-held electronics, and eventually vehicles.
There is high variability and the process is costly and time consuming.
But Thompson's research group is making proton exchange membrane fuel cells (which are the leading candidate to replace batteries in hand-held electronics and vehicles) using modern electronics microfabrication processes.
Instead of assembling the separate parts, the fuels cells are made by "growing" layers upon layers, the same way we currently make microelectronic devices.
Using these lower-cost manufacturing methods, combined with less expensive materials, U-M scientists hope to reduce the cost of fuel cells from nearly $10,000 per kilowatt to less than $1,000 per kilowatt.
"At this lower cost, fuel cells would be competitive with lithium ion batteries, the power supply for many portable electronic devices including cell phones," Thompson said.
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