Originally published April 5 2005
Membrane-free alkaline power cell could increase battery life
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Researchers at the University of Illinois have built a membrane-free alkaline power fuel cell that uses methane and oxygenated water to generate small quantities of electricity. The new cell design does not use a membrane to separate the substances before power generation, instead relying on keeping the fuel in thin channels that prevent premature combustion.
A group from the University of Illinois has built the first membrane-free alkaline fuel cell.
Announced for the first time on Mar. 22 at the American Physical Society's meeting in Los Angeles, it's a step toward creating an affordable and efficient power source that could increase the battery life of laptop computers and other electronic devices to anywhere between 10 and 40 hours (see BW, 2/21/05, "Laptop Batteries that Last All Day").
Fuel cells, which mix hydrogen compounds with oxygen compounds to create energy, have shown promise as alternative energy sources for everything ranging from cars and trucks to small electronics.
"There are different applications all the way from megawatt-producing cells down to 20 to 40 watts," which is about the power needed to run a laptop, says Paul Kenis, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois and the group's leader.
While high-wattage designs used by NASA's space program break down pure hydrogen and oxygen gas from pressurized canisters, Kenis' group uses two cheaper and considerably less volatile substances -- methanol and highly oxygenated water.
In a typical fuel cell, there is a membrane separating the hydrogen-based and oxygen-based compounds, which regulates the chemical reaction, and keeps electricity flowing at a steady rate.
The center channel is so narrow -- roughly 1 millimeter wide and 1 millimeter higher -- that that each liquid's own surface tension keeps it intact.
Eliminating the membrane removes a large component of the total cost.
But the particular advantage of this design is that similar to electronics battery cells, it is alkaline -- a more efficient kind of fuel cell than the acidic-type cells most commonly used today.
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