A group of scientists has created a new, improved fuel-cell electrode that is very lightweight and thin. Composed of a network of single-walled carbon nanotubes, the electrode functions nearly as well as conventional electrodes but renders the entire fuel cell much lighter. The research is an important step toward lightweight power supplies, which are becoming necessary as electronic devices get ever smaller and more streamlined.
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Earlier approaches utilizing carbon nanotubes in fuel cells have not taken full advantage of this material, only used as an additive to improve some of the properties of conventional electrode materials. But, until now, carbon nanotubes haven't been recognized as having the potential to replace the entire electrode.
Typically, carbon without any crystalline structure, known as amorphous carbon, is used in fuel cells because of its large surface area and porosity. Networks made of pure, single-walled carbon nanotubes boast the same properties, but weigh far less. They are ten times thinner and lighter than traditional electrodes. In addition, the long, thin shapes of the nanotubes give them a high conductivity—more than one thousand times larger than that of amorphous carbon. This is high enough that the current collector, another component of fuel cells, can be replaced as well.
There is a similar technology that uses paper as a substrate to create a battery from this concept.
