Pacific Fuel Cell Corp. (PFCE, Tustin, CA) announced that it has developed a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to grow carbon nanotubes on carbon cloth and carbon paper using an electro-deposited CVD catalyst. The discovery was accomplished by a research team headed by University of California, Riverside, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Yushan Yan, under PFCE's research contract with the University.
Carbon nanotubes have been identified as an excellent conductor of electricity, with high durability under extreme acidity, but the cost of the material has been prohibitive for fuel cell usage. PFCE has signed a contract with the University of Riverside to do research and build a fuel cell prototype based upon PFCE's proprietary carbon nano-technology. The university's Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering features a research team of 25 faculty members from engineering, cell biology and neuroscience, chemistry and physics.
"We are very pleased with this discovery," stated George Suzuki, president of Pacific Fuel Cell. "Particularly since this process has the potential to improve the platinum utilization rate in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells."
