Fuel cells that could challenge batteries move closer to market

Clemson University researchers are developing a new type of technology that can convert fuels, such as hydrogen, into electricity, as part of a journey that demonstrates how technology progresses from research to the marketplace.

The research into protonic ceramic cells, or PCCs, is overseen by Jianhua “Joshua” Tong, a professor of materials science and engineering.

PCCs would be assembled into stacks that would be able to pack more power into smaller, lighter devices than current methods, including lithium-ion batteries. Their ability to convert fuel to electricity would make them an attractive option to power large vehicles, including trains, airplanes and ships, as well as small electric vehicles and portable devices, such as power tools, Tong said.

Part of what makes the PCCs unique is they would be 3D-printed into flat tubes that can generate more power than usual designs. The PCCs can operate at the sweet spot of 400-600 degrees Celsius– hot enough to make the fuel cell reactions happen quickly and efficiently but not so high that it requires special, expensive materials.

Tong has been working on protonic ceramic cell technology for more than 16 years, sustained by a series of federal grants that has kept his work going, each project pushing the technology a bit closer to commercialization.

There are encouraging signs its day may be coming.

Tong and his team have patented parts of the process to create the PCCs. He and partner Kyle Brinkman, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, have registered a startup, X-ION Energy LLC, to speed up the technology’s path to the marketplace. They are working to test the technology with industry partners.

“We started from the periodic table and making new, promising materials and then we shifted to a very exciting additive manufacturing method, and now we are working to move this technology to market,” Tong said. “It is a very interesting journey.”

If all goes according to plan, some of the technology could be ready for market in as little as two years, and the stacks could be ready in four, Tong said.

Tong’s current project is funded by the South Carolina Research Authority, with Brinkman serving as co-principal investigator.