SiGNa Chemistry LLC (New York, NY) reported that it has come up with a new way to produce hydrogen, which could be incorporated into fuel cells that could generate enough electricity to run a cell phone for a week, or a car in emergency situations. The new technology could also reduce cost and complexity for pharmaceutical manufacturers and petroleum refiners.
The key is sodium, the alkali metal that bursts into sparks when dunked in water, which can generate hydrogen. However, because of the sparks and heat, industrial companies shy away from it. Signa has devised a way to mix sodium with silica gel, or crystalline silicon, to create a powder that essentially strips electrons from the sodium molecules in advance and stores them. When water is introduced, the chemical reaction proceeds calmly. (The harvested hydrogen molecules in turn undergo a second reaction: electrons are stripped from the molecules and get channeled into electrical power.) The powder generates hydrogen efficiently. More than nine percent of a kilogram of the powder gets converted to hydrogen, and little energy is lost through heat.
Signa has begun delivery of its powders to chemical and drug manufacturers, and is working with a fuel cell manufacturer to develop prototypes. It will announce a deal with a major chemical distributor soon. The company will partner with fuel cell makers to devise cells for smaller devices, such as phones or MP3 players.
