Breakthrough in "cool" fuel cells promises revolution
in high density power production.

Originally published July 27, 2004.

Imagine powering your notebook computer from a micro fuel cell the size of a cube of sugar. Consider the possibility of powering your entire home with a power plant the size of two soda cans. This is the potential of a breakthrough in fuel cells called "thin-film solid oxide fuel cells," or SOFCs. These thin-film solid oxide fuel cells are currently being developed at the University of Houston. They demonstrate remarkable properties for generating electricity without the high temperatures required by today's fuel cells, and without the need for taking up the space that's currently required by commercial fuel cells.

These thin-film fuel cells can be manufactured and put into production in very tiny spaces. We're talking about something that's half the size of an AA battery being able to power an entire computer, and to do it for hours on end. Even more importantly, these fuel cells operate at much higher energy efficiency than current electrical production and distribution systems. For example, a household running on such a fuel cell would operate at 65% efficiency -- that's the conversion of electrical potential in hydrogen to usable electricity -- rather than the more typical 30-35% efficiency offered by industrial power plants.

The applications for these miniature fuel cells are, of course, widespread: consumer electronics, portable computing, practical robots, medical devices, space exploration, personal transportation, power for remote sites, emergency power backup systems, and so on. The emergence of this technology is yet one more example of the new wave of portable power technologies we're witnessing today. It is truly an exciting time for this technology, and its development appears to be quite rapid. The sooner these technologies can be commercialized and brought to market as consumer products, the better; because today's power technology (batteries) is woefully inadequate.

• Researchers at the University of Houston are striving toward decreasing those costs with the next revolution in power generation.

• A breakthrough in thin film solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is currently being refined in labs at the University of Houston, making that dream a reality.

• Originating from research at UH's Texas Center for Superconductivity and Advanced Materials (TcSAM), these SOFCs of the "thin film" variety are both efficient and compact.

• With potential ranging from use in the government in matters of defense and space travel to driving forces in the consumer market that include computers and electricity, this breakthrough carries tremendous impact.

• "By using materials science concepts developed in our superconductivity research and materials processing concepts in our semiconductor research, we are able to reduce operating temperatures, eliminate steps and use less expensive materials that will potentially revolutionize from where we derive electrical energy," said Alex Ignatiev, director of TcSAM and distinguished university professor of physics, chemistry and electrical and computer engineering at UH.

• When connected to a homeowner's natural gas line, the stack would provide the needed electrical energy to run the household at an efficiency of approximately 65 percent.

• Stand-alone household fuel cell units could form the basis for a new 'distributed power' system.

• "Thin film SOFCs offer light, compact, low mass properties of significant interest to them.

• Inherent to the more efficient design of these "cool" fuel cells is quite literally the fact that they operate at a much lower temperature than other solid oxide fuel cells, yet do not need a catalyst.

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