March 28, 2012 | Eli Freund - School of Engineering

Developing the Next Generation of Fuel Cells

UConn's Center for Clean Energy Engineering has developed a new manufacturing process for fuel cells that could make highly efficient, fuel cell-powered vehicles a viable commercial option in the next 10 years and possibly sooner. Professor Radenka Maric developed the breakthrough process, which significantly lowers production costs while maintaining maximum efficiency.

by Colin Poitras

UConn’s Center for Clean Energy Engineering has developed a new manufacturing process for fuel cells that could make highly efficient, fuel cell-powered vehicles a viable commercial option in the next 10 years and possibly sooner.

Professor Radenka Maric developed the breakthrough process, which significantly lowers production costs while maintaining maximum efficiency. The process is not limited to hydrogen fuel cells. It can be applied in other industrial applications to extend the durability and efficiency of larger solid oxide fuel cells, used to heat and provide electricity to buildings, as well as lithium-ion batteries currently used in most battery-powered, plug-in, and hybrid cars.

Hydrogen fuel cells, also known as Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, are an attractive alternative fuel source for vehicles because of their high level of efficiency, low greenhouse gas emissions, and environmentally friendly operation. They have no moving parts, and their only emission is water and heat.

Read the story here.