A US research team claims to have developed a compact device that can efficiently convert methanol into hydrogen - a development that could pave the way for the use of fuel cells in portable applications.

The new device uses a cylindrical design consisting of concentric tubes, replacing the structure of existing devices in which different processing steps are built into successive flat layers, technologyreview.com reports.

The employment of such a structure means that heat spreads in all directions from a combustor at the centre, thus facilitating the necessary reactions, Ronald Besser of the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey claims.

Meanwhile, aerogels are used as insulation to keep each layers at the required temperature.

Mr Besser claims that the system could allow laptops to run for 50 hours or more and could also be used in other portable electronic applications.

The use of fuel cells that convert methanol into hydrogen for portable electronic devices has previously been stymied by the bulkiness of the cells.

Source: Practical Fuel Cells for Electronics

http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/19301/page1/
Ÿ Adfero Ltd