Harvard researchers have developed a fuel cell that utilizes methane gas, a significant breakthrough that promises longer-lasting battery life and a more environmentally friendly power source for mobile devices in the future.
Shriram Ramanathan, a professor at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and his team have developed micro-fuel cells that harness energy from cheap methane gas instead of more expensive hydrogen gas, and do not utilize platinum, a traditional component in fuel cells.
Fuel cells convert the chemical energy of fuels like hydrogen and methane gas into electrical energy, which could be used to power mobile devices.
But in order for this new type of battery to be used in commercial devices, its operating temperature must be significantly reduced, which will require significant additional research.
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operate at extremely high temperatures of around 1,000 degrees Celsius. And while the fuel cell developed by Ramanathan and his team operates at 500 degrees Celsius, it is still too high a temperature for consumer products.
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