Tuesday, February 11, 2003
Start-up Redesigns Fuel Cells
Posted by Janak Parekh in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 04:25 AM
Another interesting chapter in the never-ending fuel-cell saga. When, oh when, are we going to see these units hit the market? Most articles talk about "potential" improvements... :cry:
"A start-up company says it has developed a way to make fuel cells out of silicon, a change that potentially could increase the performance of cells and make them easier to manufacture.
As far-fetched as it might sound, fuel cells for cell phones or notebooks will likely emerge in the market next year and grow in popularity. Unlike microprocessors, hard drives or memory, batteries are not continuing to improve at a rapid, predictable rate. This is forcing tech companies to seek alternatives or products that will complement batteries.
The twist developed by Neah Power Systems essentially replaces the polymer membrane inside fuel cells with layers of porous silicon, said David Dorheim, CEO of Neah."
"A start-up company says it has developed a way to make fuel cells out of silicon, a change that potentially could increase the performance of cells and make them easier to manufacture.
As far-fetched as it might sound, fuel cells for cell phones or notebooks will likely emerge in the market next year and grow in popularity. Unlike microprocessors, hard drives or memory, batteries are not continuing to improve at a rapid, predictable rate. This is forcing tech companies to seek alternatives or products that will complement batteries.
The twist developed by Neah Power Systems essentially replaces the polymer membrane inside fuel cells with layers of porous silicon, said David Dorheim, CEO of Neah."
