#fuel cell
Penn State professor, Chao-Yang Wang, was recently named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors for his work on batteries and fuel cells. The Academy honors distinguished individuals who have created inventions that have made an impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society.
Wang’s research has helped lead to the creation of an all-climate electric vehicle battery, and he currently has over 20 patents for his work and has 25 pending patent applications.
Read more about Wang’s research at Penn State News.
Could nanoparticles change fuel production?
Technically, they already have. Nanoparticles are ultrafine units of matter that measure no more than 100 nanometers in length, width, or height. They have a part to play in fuel cells – and their potential replacement of combustion engines. Fuel cells produce electricity through a chemical reaction, and nanoparticles can serve as the catalysts that facilitate those reactions.
So we can all go home now, as that all makes perfect sense, right? Not quite.
These minuscule bits are particularly useful in industrial applications like fuel production, which require durable catalysts. Nanoparticles fit the bill because they have a relatively large surface-area-to-volume ratio, which means the reactions can happen faster (more surface to react) [source: Birch]. And because they’re so teeny tiny, you don’t have to use much.
But the nanoparticles currently in use aren’t the cheapest or the most durable. How is research changing that?
