1 University Fuel Cell Roundup
(summaries contributed by Kathy Haq, Dir. of Outreach and Communications, National Fuel Cell Research Center, UC Irvine, khaq@nfcrc.uci.edu)
 
In February, California State University Northridge dedicated its new 1-MW fuel cell power plant ― the single largest fuel cell power plant at any university in the world. The plant generates baseload electricity for the university’s facilities and surplus heat for buildings, showers, hot water used in food service, and the swimming pool at the Student Union. Tom Brown, executive director of Northridge’s Physical Plant Management, said that incorporating the fuel cell plant into campus operations will reduce the university’s carbon dioxide emissions into the environment by 60 million pounds during the lifetime of the plant. The Direct FuelCell® power plant was purchased from FuelCell Energy, Inc. Southern California Gas Company committed up to $2.25 million in incentive funding to support the installation, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power committed an additional $500,000. [5-Feb-2007, Cal State Northridge]
 
Scientists at the University of California, Riverside and Pacific Fuel Cell Corp. have shown for the first time in a recent publication (J. Power Sources, 2006, 158:154-159) that carbon nanotubes can have more than 40 percent longer life than carbon black under simulated cathode operating conditions. The same UCR group has also demonstrated previously that carbon nanotube-based catalysts can double the platinum utilization, potentially leading to a significant cost reduction for fuel cell production. [13-Feb-2007, Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd.]
 
Kettering University has hired Peter Scott as the new director of its Fuel Cell and Advanced Technology Incubator. His assignment is to help inventors and entrepreneurs commercialize new technologies and businesses. Scott earned dual bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1987. For the next five years, he designed aircraft engines for General Electric. He added a master's of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1992 and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1994. Aiding Scott in this new endeavor will be one of Kettering's newest corporate partners, the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC). It will soon begin offering regional services to small businesses in Genesee and Lapeer counties from the fifth floor of the Campus Center. The MI-SBTDC regional office will be staffed with an intake administrator, regional director and traditional business consultant. [9-Mar-2007, Kettering University News]
 
A team of University of Vermont scientists led by electrical engineering professor Walter Varhue is delving into the realm of nanotechnology in hopes of developing a new material that will utilize sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. A single particle of sunlight contains enough energy to split water, but the conversion process isn't efficient, Varhue said. New materials brought by nanotechnology could solve this problem. "If the current efficiency of 6 percent can be increased to 10 percent, you could have farms across the country making hydrogen instead of growing corn." Much of the work has focused on a material called titanium oxide, Varhue said. But so far, that material has been shown only to make use of about 6 percent of the energy in sunlight in the hydrogen-making process. The plan is to "grow" crystals from four elements: gallium, zinc, nitrogen and oxygen, in carefully controlled amounts. Those elements naturally join to form the crystals, which the scientists call "nanostructured catalysts for the photoelectrochemical production of hydrogen." [11-Mar-2007, The Associated Press State & Local Wire]
 
A new institute dedicated to interdisciplinary research on energy at the University of Michigan will lead to more partnerships between the university and the automobile industry, university professors say. Renovations are about to begin on a building on that used to contain the university's nuclear reactor to create a hub for the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute. Scheduled to open in 2008, the renovated lab building, called the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Laboratory, will provide shared space and resources for faculty who are interested in research into a variety of energy fields ― including advanced nuclear power systems, batteries, hydrogen and solar technologies, and fuel cells. The energy institute is being created as other universities across the country are also devoting more resources to energy research. Gary Was, director of the institute, said the variety of expertise that will be tapped on campus will set U-M's effort apart. “We feel that the energy issue goes beyond a solely technological answer,” said Was, who cited questions of economics, public policy, regulation and consumer attitudes that need to be addressed. [18-Mar-2007, Ann Arbor News (Michigan)]

Researchers at Saint Louis University in Missouri have developed a fuel cell battery that runs on virtually any sugar source ― from soft drinks to tree sap ― and has the potential to operate three to four times longer on a single charge than conventional lithium ion batteries, they say. For consumers, that could mean significantly longer time to talk and play music between charges. The new battery, which is also biodegradable, could eventually replace lithium ion batteries in many portable electronic applications, including computers, the scientists say. Their findings were described at the 233rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society. "This study shows that renewable fuels can be directly employed in batteries at room temperature to lead to more energy-efficient battery technology than metal-based approaches," says study leader Shelley Minteer, an electrochemist at the university. "It demonstrates that by bridging biology and chemistry, we can build a better battery that's also cleaner for the environment." Funding for this study was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense. [29-Mar-2007, Space Daily]
 
Kettering University is pursuing a $2.7 million fuel cell research laboratory to be built on land across from its campus and anchor a research park. [1-Apr-2007, Flint Journal (Michigan)]
 
An Oxford University research team led by Fraser Armstrong has built a “biofuel cell” that produces electricity from ordinary air spiked with small amounts of hydrogen. The technology, described at the 233^rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, offers an inexpensive and renewable alternative to platinum-based fuel cells. The biofuel cell was built with hydrogenases, enzymes from naturally occurring bacteria that use or oxidize hydrogen in their metabolism. The cell consists of two electrodes coated with the enzymes placed inside a container of ordinary air with 3 percent added hydrogen. Prototype versions of the cell produced enough electricity to power a wristwatch and other electronic devices. Armstrong foresees advanced versions of the device as potential power sources for an array of other electronic products that only require low amounts of power. [2-Apr-2007, Space Daily]
 
The University of Delaware recently began operating a shuttle bus powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The bus was unveiled during an April 9 ceremony on the university's Newark campus. The hydrogen fuel cell bus project is supported by a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration, matched by private financing from companies working in partnership with the University. [9-Apr-2007, UD News]
 
Scientists at Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory are investigating new materials that may someday be used as economical substitutes for palladium. Success in this area would significantly reduce costs associated with the production of hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles. "The substitute material must allow hydrogen to diffuse through it rapidly, must be ductile enough to allow the material to be fabricated into long, thin tubes and it must resist corrosion while operating in an oxidizing environment at 400 to 500 degrees Celsius," said Alan Russell, a scientist at Ames Laboratory and professor of materials science and engineering at Iowa State. "Nearly 100 alloys have been made so far and tested for ductility and the ability to diffuse H," Russell said. Robert Buxbaum, lead scientist for the project and president of REB Research & Consulting, a Michigan company specializing in hydrogen generators, illustrated their results thus far with this Thomas Edison quote, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. … We've found a bunch of things that are almost there," Buxbaum said, "But even the things we missed at, a lot of it's awfully cool." [10-Apr-2007, Iowa State Daily via U-WIRE]

Allison Engstrom, a materials science and engineering junior at Arizona State University, is one of two ASU students selected to receive a Goldwater Scholarship. Eric Anderson, a bioengineering sophomore, was honored as well. The $7,500 scholarship, which is the nation's highest award for undergraduates planning careers in scientific research, is given on academic merit, as well as the extent and sophistication of the student's undergraduate research. Engstrom, who plans on pursuing a doctorate in materials science and engineering, worked with engineering professor Cody Friesen on promising nanotechnology to improve the efficiency of fuel cells. [10-Apr-2007, US States News]

A University of New Hampshire student team that designed a microbial fuel cell took first-place honors and the Intel Innovation Award in the 17^th Annual International Environmental Design Contest. Engineering and business students working together as MicroCellutions Inc. designed a single-chamber, open-air microbial fuel cell that successfully converts cow manure directly into electricity. The team won first place under “Task 4: Conversion of Biomass Resource to Useful Forms of Energy and Other Products.” This year’s design challenges revolved around water, its viability and availability, and renewable energy resources. The annual contest is sponsored by the Waste Management Education and Research Consortium, which includes universities and national laboratories in New Mexico. Competitors tackle real-life problems provided by industry and government. [17-Apr-2007, UNH Media Relations]
 
Ford Australia is working with the University of Melbourne on a long-term research project to study efficient and practical hydrogen-fueled vehicle technologies. Aided by a $1.2 million grant from the Victorian Government, the program will begin in July and Ford will contribute engines and resources to the project to help with engine and vehicle development. The project will also investigate hydrogen generation and storage technology. Ford boss Tom Gorman says the project is the first to research hydrogen engine alternatives using an Australian-sourced engine. The project team's first priority is to develop, build and test a hydrogen-fueled turbo-charged Ford six-cylinder engine using an advanced combustion technology known as hydrogen-assisted jet ignition. [13-Apr-2007, distributed by Financial Times Information and published in the Canberra Times]