News and New Products

Fuel-cell battery pack gets a step closer

By Bill Schweber -- EDN, 7/22/2004

Many technical and market-channel obstacles stand in the way of achieving fuel-cell-based power packs for cell phones, laptops, and similar mass-market items (see "Fuel-cell technology: The glass is half full…with methanol fuel," EDN, May 27, 2004), but a new development from MTI MicroFuel Cells puts us closer. The company’s Mobion direct-methanol fuel cell combines the fuel source—100% methanol, also known as “neat”—chemical-to-electricity conversion, and a dc/dc converter into a 40-cc-volume power unit.

The device requires no internal microplumbing or active pump to handle water, which is an inherent part of the conversion-operation chemistry. This approach decreases size and cost; increases useable fuel capacity because there is no need to dilute the methanol with water, thus decreasing available energy; and contributes to a simpler design. In addition, the shape of the fuel cell is not limited to simple rectangular forms but can conform to available space.

MTI is showing the initial design in a handheld game and a PDA/Smart phone. The company is working with DuPont (www.dupont.com) to provide the highly proprietary Flextronics membrane/electrode assembly for overall assembly. More important to widespread acceptance, MTI is working with Gillette (www.gillette.com) to provide fuel distribution at the consumer level in a way similar to conventional batteries and even razor blades.

MTI claims that, for a given volume, the fuel-cell-based power source provides runtimes two to 10 times longer than those of a conventional battery—along with instant “recharging” by replenishing the methanol (Picture).

MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc, 1-518-533-2222, www.mtimicrofuelcells.com.