DMFCC Sampling Methanol Fuel Cell Cartridges

Viaspace announced today that its subsidiary, Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corp. (DMFCC), has completed product development of its first methanol fuel cell cartridge and plans to begin sampling with customers. The cartridge was co-developed with and manufactured by DMFCC's Korean partner, SMC.

Dr. Carl Kukkonen, CEO of Viaspace, said, "Fuel cells are expected to gain a substantial market share because they offer longer operating time as compared to current lithium ion batteries and may be instantaneously recharged by simply replacing the disposable fuel cartridge. DMFCC plans to provide cartridge samples to several potential customers for testing. The current design is flexible and can be easily modified to meet the specific requirements of each customer."

The DMFCC methanol cartridge holds 50 cm³ of 100% methanol and is designed for a laptop computer and similar applications. One cartridge is expected to provide five to 10 hours of computer operation depending on the efficiency of the fuel cell. DMFCC will work with customers to develop cartridges with custom sizes and shapes for their particular applications. Cell phones will require smaller cartridges, and other applications may require larger ones.

DMFCC also plans to develop cartridges for other fuels such as formic acid or ethanol, as customers require. DMFCC cartridges are designed to meet the stringent safety standards proposed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).