Credit: University of New South Wales
UNSW
researchers have redesigned hydrogen fuel cells to solve a critical flaw,
bringing clean energy for aviation, heavy transport and beyond closer to
reality. Hydrogen fuel cells, using locally produced green hydrogen as the only
fuel, have long been viewed as the ultimate clean energy source, but their
commercialization has been difficult.
A multidisciplinary team from UNSW, led
by Dr. Quentin Meyer and Professor Chuan Zhao from the School of Chemistry, has
managed to make hydrogen fuel cells much more efficient, paving the way for
their commercialization.
"Hydrogen fuel cells generate clean
electricity with water as the only byproduct," says Dr. Quentin Meyer, a
Senior Research Fellow in Prof. Zhao's team, and first author of the research
published in the journal Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy.
In theory, they could deliver cheap,
abundant clean energy—transforming industries like freight and aviation that
batteries struggle to power.
But translating that promise into real-world emissions cuts has proven difficult.
Previous designs resulted in cells becoming
waterlogged and failing. Credit: UNSW
Some of the water produced inside
the cell gets trapped, blocking the flow of oxygen and choking performance.
Fixing that typically requires complex, energy-intensive systems that add cost
and weight.
The UNSW team's new design takes a
different approach: it allows excess water and gas to escape before they can
build up, without adding to the price.
"Our design can make hydrogen
fuel cells much more efficient with only minor structural changes," says
Dr. Meyer.
A brand-new design
The UNSW team's solution focuses on
the structure of the fuel cell itself.
Using high-precision
micro-scale engineering, they introduced microscopic channels—100 micrometers wide, separated by
100 micrometer micro-ribs—into the internal architecture of the cell.
"There's usually no way to
remove water," says Dr. Meyer.
"But these 'lateral bypasses'
act as escape routes, meaning water no longer accumulates and stops the cell
working."
It's a simple fix with a
substantial impact.
"The redesigned fuel cell achieves 75% more power than traditional designs," according to Dr. Meyer.
Using micro-scale engineering, the team drilled
escape routes for gas and water into the inside of the fuel cell, drastically
improving performance and clearing a major hurdle to commercialization. Credit:
UNSW
"We're rethinking hydrogen
fuel cells in Australia by combining advanced imaging, fluid flow simulations, and precision
micro-engineering," adds Professor Peyman Mostaghimi from the UNSW School
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Ying Da Wang from the UNSW
School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering.
The result is a far more efficient
system, making fuel cells more attractive for mass markets.
"It's very exciting,"
says Prof. Zhao.
"This breakthrough could be
used in a range of different settings and brings cheap, clean, and abundant
hydrogen energy to within our reach."
Real-world applications
The new design is also less reliant
on costly metals like platinum, and the overall system is lighter
and cheaper.
The current fuel crisis has
highlighted the need for such clean-energy solutions, the team says,
particularly in aviation and freight.
"I believe airplanes will be
powered by hydrogen fuel cells in the very near future," says Dr. Meyer.
"By redesigning hydrogen fuel
cells, lightweight aviation becomes a lot more realistic," according to
Prof. Zhao.
Closer to market, the team is
targeting low-altitude aircraft, where hydrogen systems can already deliver
significantly longer flight times than battery alternatives.
The lateral bypass technology has been patented by Dr. Meyer and Prof. Zhao, and they are now working to scale it.
Source: New hydrogen fuel cell design could unlock key clean energy technology
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