Fuel for thought

UK

industry and academics are to collaborate on a £2.1m research project to investigate potential barriers to the introduction of fuel cells for vehicles and power generation.

The EPSRC-funded project will examine the obstacles that must be overcome before fuel cells can be fully exploited, including key issues like durability and power density. The research will also investigate the potential of new fuels like ethanol and innovative materials that could allow cells to operate at a wider range of temperatures.

The programme includes four UK universities, and is backed by DSTL, Rolls-Royce, Johnson Matthey and Imperial College spin-off Ceres Power.

Prof Nigel Brandon, leading the research at Imperial College, said the project is the first in the UK to bring together work on low-temperature fuel cells used in cars with the high-temperature fuel cells being developed for gas turbines. This means research efforts can be combined, he said, so for example electrode design improvements could enhance the performance of both high and low-temperature fuel cells.