Though the technology for cleaner fuels exists, the high cost of materials and production prevents their widespread and affordable commercial availability.
A group of scientists at the University may have solved the problem by using cheaper metals as catalysts in converting chemical energy into electric energy of a fuel cell.
The current cost of fuel cell technology is prohibitive to commercial application, said Arumugam Manthiram, a mechanical engineering professor who is heading the experiment along with Allen Bard, a chemistry and biochemistry professor.
Manthiram and his team have experimentally tested the use of a metal alloy of palladium, cobalt and molybdenum to replace the more expensive platinum that is now used in fuel cells for the conversion of chemical energy. This alloy would cost roughly one-fifth as much as platinum. Manthiram said that more long-term tests with industrial partners are needed to verify its durability and stability.
"Platinum is a tough competitor," said Bob Rose, executive director of the Breakthrough Technologies Institute and founding executive director of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council. "If this alternative does prove to provide equivalent performance at lower cost, it would be of substantial interest to the government."
Yongzhu Fu, a materials science and engineering graduate student, said there are many barriers to lower-cost fuel cell technology, which in the future may be able to provide cheaper energy to cities, cars, cell phones and laptops.
"The most important issue for fuel cells is high cost," Fu said. "Lowering the cost of materials would re-open the market to commercialize [fuel cell technology]."
According to Rep. Lamar Smith, senior member of the House Science Committee and Research Subcommittee, whose district includes the University, this development is the most significant breakthrough in producing energy without fossil fuels that he has seen while on the committee. Smith said he thought this could eventually lead to the United States being less dependent on foreign fuel producers.
"The U.S. depends on foreign producers of fossil fuels for 60 percent of our petroleum," Smith said. "Fuel cells do not produce greenhouse gases, so this has potential to impact the environment in a positive way while providing a less expensive source of energy."