PolyFuel Patented Key Portable Fuel Cell Technology

United States Patent and Trademark Office recently issued two broad patents for fundamental fuel cell technology to PolyFuel, Inc. The patented technology includes fuel cells’ membranes, which resemble flexible sheets of cellophane. These membranes are the core of the “critical technology behind portable fuel cells, and to a large degree dictate their size, cost, power and efficiency”, according to PolyFuel.

“Such ‘micro power’ fuel cells are widely expected to begin supplanting batteries as the primary power source when extended runtimes are desired for increasingly power-hungry portable electronic devices such as laptop computers, PDAs, and smart phones,” PolyFuel says.

The company claims the fuel cell battery cartridge, containing just a few ounces of methanol (CH3OH) and water (H2O), might power a notebook computer for 8 hours or more.

“Fuel cells can be thought of as refillable batteries. Unlike batteries, which when exhausted must be discarded or recharged over a number of hours, fuel cells will keep producing power indefinitely, as long as there is fuel. In fuel cells being designed for portable consumer electronics devices, snap-in cartridges – the size of disposable cigarette lighters in several handheld designs – can be carried in pocket or purse, and popped into the fuel cell as required,” PolyFuel explains.

Currently, it is not known when the portable fuel cell batteries will be available in the market.