Grant for Micro-Fuel Cells
Research & Development
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded Carbon
Nanotechnologies, Inc., Motorola, Inc. and Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells,
Inc. a $3.6 million grant to develop “free standing” carbon
nanotube electrodes for micro-fuel cells in order to meet the ever-growing
demand for more power and longer run times in portable microelectronics.
The Advanced Technology Program award from NIST supports a 3 year, $7.4
million project to exploit the unique properties of single wall carbon-nanotubes
(SWNT) in order to achieve siginificant breakthroughs in fuel cell performance,
durability and manufacturability.
“It is a privilege to be associated with such great technology focused
companies in this project and we are pleased that NIST sees the merit
and the potential in this technology,” states Professor Richard E.
Smalley, a 1996 Nobel Laureate and Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. chairman
and co-founder. “Single wall carbon-nanotubes will enable many new
products and I believe that fuel cell development will be an early beneficiary
of their powerful properties. Carbon nanotechnology should prove to be
one of the great enablers in solving our country’s energy problems.”
Hand-held electronic devices are increasing in sophistication with their
demands for electrical power seemingly rising exponentially. Rechargeable
battery technology is mature, and unlikely to satisfy this demand. Small
fuel cells have the potential to provide the power required, but this
potential has not yet been recognized. In the longer term, success of
the "hydrogen economy" is critically contingent upon increasing
performance and durability, while decreasing associated manufacturing
costs of present-day proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. These
capabilities will be particularly important in fuel cells for distributed
power generation and automotive applications.
If successful, the technology would enable not only dramatically improved
compact PEM fuel cells for a host of current hand-held electronic devices,
but would also enable the design and commercilization of more powerful
next generation “wireless” devices.
The Advanced Technology Program, managed by the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, provides cost-shared funding to industry for
high-risk R&D projects with the potential to spark important, broad-based
economic benefits for the United States. The awards are made on the basis
of a rigorous peer-reviewed selection process. For more information, visit
the ATP web site, www.atp.nist.gov.
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