News & Analysis
Nanoparticles could make hydrogen cheaper than gasoline
R Colin Johnson
2/25/2008 9:21 AM EST
QuantumSphere Inc. says it has perfected the manufacture of highly reactive catalytic nanoparticle coatings that could up the efficiency of electrolysis, the technique that generates hydrogen from water. Moreover, the coatings could also eliminate the need for expensive metals like platinum in hydrogen fuel cells.
Boasting 1,000 times the surface area of traditional materials, the coatings can be used to retrofit existing electrolysers to increase their efficiency to 85 percent--exceeding the Department of Energy's goal for 2010 by 10 percent. The scheme holds the promise of 96 percent efficiency by the time cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells hit automobile showrooms, according to the Santa Ana, Calif., company.
"Instead of switching 170,000 gas stations over to hydrogen, using our electrodes could enable consumers to make their own hydrogen, either in the garage or right on the vehicle," said Kevin Maloney, president, chief executive officer and co-founder of QuantumSphere. "Our nanoparticle-coated electrodes make electrolysers efficient enough to provide hydrogen on demand from a tank of distilled water in your car."
The first commercial product inspired by QuantumSphere's technology will debut later this year: a battery using a cathode coated with the startup's nanoparticles, thereby increasing its energy density 5x over alkaline cells and boosting power by 320 percent. The first commercial nonrechargeable batteries with this increased capacity will be announced by an as-yet-unnamed major U.S. battery maker in the second half of 2008.
QuantumSphere also claims to be able to improve rechargeable nickel-metal-hydride batteries to the point where they perform better than the less environmentally friendly lithium-ion batteries popular today.
QuantumSphere's plan is first to retrofit existing electrolysis equipment with its nanoparticle electrodes to boost efficiency. Next, it intends to partner with original equipment manufacturers to design at-home and on-vehicle electrolysers for making hydrogen from water for fuel cells. Finally, the company wants to work with fuel cell makers to replace their expensive platinum electrodes with inexpensive stainless-steel electrodes coated with nickel-iron nanoparticles.
QuantumSphere's nanoparticles are available in four formulations: nickel cobalt, iron cobalt, nickel iron and silver copper. According to the Freedonia Group Inc. (Cleveland), the nanoparticles can be sold directly into the catalyst metals market, which it predicts will edge up to $4.7 billion this year.
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Qfman
2/25/2008 4:18 PM EST
Talk about perpetual motion. 96% efficient and installed on a car to generate H2 for a fuel cell? Have I got a bridge for you!
Profusion Energy probably has a solution to the problems associated with the hydrogen economy.
The work at Profusion Energy has produced a method of driving weak nuclear interactions.
Thats nice, who cares?
You do.
By driving a weak nuclear interaction it is possible to fuse simple hydrogen into helium. The weak interaction allows a proton to be converted to a neutron bypassing the need to overcome the Coulombic repulsion.
By taking this approach in a solid, the energy from the reaction can be transferred to the solid as heat. It produces no dangerous radiation. If the reaction is not run in a solid the energy can only leave as a gamma ray and or fast neutrons, both of which are deadly.
I have been review by multiple Ph.Ds who recommend further support of my work. Those recommendations are based on phase one verification data supporting the hypothesis. You can see there quotes in the power point on the website. profusionenergy dot com.
Use your mouse to highlight PhaseIVerificationData and copy it. If you would like more information than what is on the home page then past it to the end of the web page address
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cacruden
2/27/2008 10:42 PM EST
Can Hydrogen gas be also used to cook (replacing natural gas distribution in the future)?
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Biotele
2/28/2008 2:29 AM EST
Make Hydrogen right now from Aluminum and water, safely and easily. Follow these instructions:
http://www.instructables.com/id/SODA-CAN-HYDROGEN-GENERATOR/
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Quantum Fusion
2/28/2008 1:46 PM EST
Talk about perpetual motion. 96% efficient and installed on a car to generate H2 for a fuel cell? Have I got a bridge for you! Profusion Energy probably has a solution to the problems associated with the hydrogen economy. The work at Profusion Energy has produced a method of driving weak nuclear interactions. That’s nice, who cares? You do. By driving a weak nuclear interaction it is possible to fuse simple hydrogen into helium. The weak interaction allows a proton to be converted to a neutron bypassing the need to overcome the Coulombic repulsion. By taking this approach in a solid, the energy from the reaction can be transferred to the solid as heat. It produces no dangerous radiation. If the reaction is not run in a solid the energy can only leave as a gamma ray and or fast neutrons, both of which are deadly. I have been review by multiple Ph.D’s who recommend further support of my work. Those recommendations are based on phase one verification data supporting the hypothesis. You can see there quotes in the power point on the website. profusionenergy dot com. Use your mouse to highlight PhaseIVerificationData and copy it. If you would like more information than what is on the home page then past it to the end of the web page address
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Quantum Fusion
2/28/2008 1:49 PM EST
Talk about perpetual motion. 96% efficient and installed on a car to generate H2 for a fuel cell? Have I got a bridge for you! Profusion Energy probably has a solution to the problems associated with the hydrogen economy. The work at Profusion Energy has produced a method of driving weak nuclear interactions. That’s nice, who cares? You do. By driving a weak nuclear interaction it is possible to fuse simple hydrogen into helium. The weak interaction allows a proton to be converted to a neutron bypassing the need to overcome the Coulombic repulsion. By taking this approach in a solid, the energy from the reaction can be transferred to the solid as heat. It produces no dangerous radiation. If the reaction is not run in a solid the energy can only leave as a gamma ray and or fast neutrons, both of which are deadly. I have been review by multiple Ph.D’s who recommend further support of my work. Those recommendations are based on phase one verification data supporting the hypothesis. You can see there quotes in the power point on the website. profusionenergy dot com. Use your mouse to highlight PhaseIVerificationData and copy it. If you would like more information than what is on the home page then past it to the end of the web page address
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pegasus1
2/28/2008 6:37 PM EST
And the cost of producing the nanoparticles is?
The cost of the raw materials to produce them is?
The long-term availability of the raw materials is?
What are the waste products from this fuel, and how will they effect the environment in 50 years?
What fuel source will be used to distill the water?
With low water problems across the southern US and around the world, where will enough water to replace fossil fuels come from?
This may be a good thing, but we humans are too quick to jump on the bandwagon without using our noggins first.
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mussey
3/4/2008 1:46 PM EST
Hydrogen/Oxygen burned in a ceramic combustor or "sand burner" could be used to heat synthetic oil for a steam hydraulic engine. Go to: Hydraulics and Pneumatics.com and click system design. Conical Steam hydraulic ...entry. This is not an attempt to promote over unity devices but only a steam engine dirived from an Asphalt Emulsifier. A possible Microturbine alternative for automotive hybrid. I am encouraged with the entry of the QuantumSphere, Inc. Nanoparticle hydrogen electrolyzer.
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sonny g
3/21/2008 6:19 PM EDT
I wonder if this company knows of the existance of the "JOE CELL" .... I believe if this coating were applied to this type of unit,,, There would be "NO" more use for gasoline in cars... I have made one of these JOE CELLS myself and they produce enough hydrogen and oxygen to run a car for a month on 2 gallons of water... The only problem right now is "SIZE"... To produce the needed Hydrogen you need about 3 cubic feet of space in the car for the unit itself and the cars Altenator supplies ample power... With this coating the cells could shrink by 50% or more... and that will put an end to the gas guzzlers...
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-anon-
8/17/2009 2:51 PM EDT
Sounds like it could solve many of the world's problems. Not addressed in the article are concerns of the safety of producing hydrogen at home or the unregulated ability to manufacture hazardous nanoparticles and dispense them into our environment.
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