LONDON, Nov 30, 2005 -- AFX News - UK

 

ITM Power PLC, the company developing hydrogen fuel cells, said it has made two improvements in its technology that bring it much closer to market and increase the value of its patents.

"We believe that these developments represent an historic scientific advance," said ITM chief executive Jim Heathcote. "The breakthroughs announced today help address some fundamental barriers to the adoption of fuel cells including hydration control, improved lower cost catalysis, higher efficiency and direct rapid electronic control over power output through what is effectively the world's first 'ionic transistor'".

The company said it is aiming to develop "convenient and cost competitive" systems that can rapidly enter the commercial marketplace and it added that the enhancements announced today "significantly increase the value of our patented technology to future licensees and increase our probability of successfully exploiting our intellectual property for shareholders."

One advance involves composite membranes, which ITM said potentially reduce the overall cost of a fuel cell system by raising efficiency, reducing catalyst costs and simplifying hydration control systems.

In composite membranes, one side of the membrane can be composed of an acidic polymer, while the other side is composed of an alkaline polymer.

This means one catalyst can be chosen to operate in an acid environment with the fuel, while a second (different) catalyst operates in an alkaline environment with the oxidant.

The second advance involves direct electrical control of fuel cell power output. The company said conventional fuel cells work well when operating steadily at full power, but the methods available to change the power output are problematic.

ITM said it has been able to impose direct electronic control of a fuel cell by incorporating a control grid into the junction between the two layers of a composite membrane.

The result is in some ways analogous to the control grid used in electronic valves or transistors although here it is the flow of ions which must be controlled, not electrons.

The company has filed patent applications both on the invention of a composite membrane of enhanced properties including specifically an acid/alkaline laminate; and on the use of control grids to act directly on and control the electrical activity within a fuel cell.

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