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• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 69 KB
• Volume: 2003
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1464-2859
• DOI: 10.1016/s1464-2859(03)00706-5

✦ Synopsis

Toray develops micro fuel cell for cellphone

Tokyo-based Toray Industries has collaborated with Shinshu University in Nagano Prefecture to develop a membrane-electrode assembly for a direct methanol fuel cell that is small yet powerful enough to power a cellphone, according to the Nikkei Business Daily.

Toray's new MEA is around 3 mm thick and features a membrane with small pores that allow hydrogen ions to pass, but reduce the undesired crossover of methanol by 80%. The MEA also features an improved catalyst that enables the use of a more highly concentrated solution of methanol, helping to triple both the life of the fuel cell and the power output.

Using the new MEA, Toray has prototyped a fuel cell and demonstrated its ability to power a personal digital assistant. In a cellphone, the fuel cell can power the phone for 90 min of talk time on 10 cm 3 of methanol -more or less equivalent to current Li-ion batteries. The company is continuing work on boosting the MEA's performance, but apparently plans to enter into volume production in fiscal 2005 and market the product to battery makers.