New fuel cell membrane yields more power

Fuel cell membrane developer PolyFuel (LSE: PYF) is introducing a new membrane it says will deliver 40% more power than any fuel cell membrane yet developed.

PolyFuel says this will enable a ‘significant reduction’ in the size, weight and cost of fuel cell stacks, which manufacturers are have been experimenting with to power extended runtime laptops and cell phones.

Direct methanol fuel cells use a catalyzed reaction between methanol and water to produce energy. The by product of the reaction is carbon dioxide, water and heat.

The membrane allows twice the amount of water to diffuse through it, simplifying fuel cell design. Because water is both a reactant and a product, it can be ‘recycled’ through diffusion, eliminating the need for complicated water pump systems, which have posed a problem when powering small electronic devices.

“The smaller the membrane, the smaller the stack, and that means lower cost and smaller sized fuel cells,” according to PolyFuel president Jim Balcon.

PolyFuel has announced that Samsung is using its membrane in its fuel cell research. According to a Samsung principal engineer: “A fuel cell can never deliver too much power nor be too efficient. We expect the new material will enable us to achieve a new performance milestone.”

PolyFuel was up more than 8% to £51.5 at the end of today's trading in London, which is still less than half the price it was trading at in May.