NANO FUEL CELL_FINAL RIPORT

8/7/2019 NANO FUEL CELL_FINAL RIPORT

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# INTRODUCTION #

Let us first take a glimpse on nano fuel cellThis name suggests

Nanotechnology+H2+Fuel cell. Its a fuel cell which uses hydrogen as a fuel to produce

electricity and also modified by nanotechnology to make it more efficient and pollution free.

Today, millions of people depend on the automobile as their main source of

transportation. Automobiles are the most efficient and convenient way to travel compared to

walking or running. Unfortunately, most of the automobiles use fossil fuels such as oil. After the

internal combustion engine consumes the gasoline, it releases pollutants contribute to smog and

also play a major part as culprits behind acid rain and global warming. These chemicals cause air

pollution and the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This results in the destruction

of our precious ozone layer. In addition to these disastrous effects to the environment, gasoline is

a finite energy source. Therefore, another efficient and cheap energy source needs to be found

quickly. Ideally, this energy source should be unlimited in its supply and friendly to the

environment...

The best alternative to gasoline is the fuel cell. Fuel cell systems produce no polluting

emissionsand they contain no moving parts. Fuel cells are also 3 times more efficient than the

internal combustion engine. Unlike gasoline used by the internal combustion engine, most fuel

cells utilize hydrogen, a renewable resource. The use of fuel cells will decrease our dependence

on the finite amount of fossil fuels.

Nanotechnology is ahybrid science combining engineering and chemistry.


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~Chapter 1: Fuel Cell ~

# FUEL CELL #

If you want to be technical about it, a fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion

device.A fuel cell turns hydrogen, the fuel, into electricity using air and other catalysts. The

fuel cell harnesses chemical energy trapped in hydrogen gas and converts it into the kinetic

energy we know as electricity, without fossil fuels, combustion, or polluting emissions.A fuel

cell provides a DC (direct current) voltage that can be used to power motors, lights or any

number of electrical appliances.

There are several different types of fuel cells, each using a different chemistry.

These types of fuel cells are:

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC) Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFC) Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells (PAFC) Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) Regenerative Fuel Cells (RFC)Each fuel cell has their own characteristics but similar in how they work.


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# TYPES OF FUEL CELLS #

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Alkaline Fuel Cell

Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell


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# COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT TYPE OF FUEL CELL #


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# CHEMISTRY OF FUEL CELL #


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# PARTS OF FUEL CELL #

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM)

PEM fuel cells are made from several layers of different materials, as shown in the diagram. The

three key layers in a PEM fuel cell include:

Membrane electrode assembly Catalyst Hardware

Membrane Electrode Assembly:

Anode:The anode, the negative side of the fuel cell, has several jobs. It conducts the

electrons that are freed from the hydrogen molecules so that they can be used in an external

circuit.

Cathode: the positive side of the fuel cell, It conducts the electrons back from theexternal circuit to the catalyst, where they can recombine with the hydrogen ions and oxygen

to form water.

Polymer electrolyte membrane: PEMa specially treated material that looks something like

ordinary kitchen plastic wrapconducts only positively charged ions and blocks the electrons.

The PEM is the key to the fuel cell technology.

Catalyst:

All electrochemical reactions in a fuel cell consist of two separate reactions:an oxidation and a reduction


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each of the electrodes is coated on one side with a catalyst layer that speeds up the reaction of

oxygen and hydrogen. It is usually made of platinum powder very thinly coated onto carbonpaper or cloth. The catalyst is rough and porous, so that the maximum surface area of the

platinum can be exposed to the hydrogen or oxygen. The platinum-coated side of the catalyst

faces theP

EM.

Hardware:

The backing layers, flow fields, and current collectors are designed to maximize the current

from a membrane/electrode assembly.

Why do not any other energy conversion devices?

The other electrochemical device that we are all familiar with is the battery. A battery hasall of its chemicals stored inside, and it converts those chemicals into electricity too. This means

that a battery eventually "goes dead"and you either throw it away or recharge it. With a fuel

cell, chemicals constantly flow into the cell so fuel cell never goes dead -- as long as there is a

flow of chemicals into the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell.


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# BENEFITS & APPLICATIONS #

Some of the benefits that can be expected by using fuel cell technology in your environment

are:

Environment benefits because of no combustion & hence no pollution; Flexibility in the types of fuels that can be used with fuel cell technology; Relieves the reliance on existing natural resources used for energy consumption; Higher quality of power and energy efficient; Safe, quiet, and reliable;

Fuel cells can run continuously for long periods of time before servicing is required;

Fuel cell provides another method of generating energy.

Some of the applicationsthat can be expected by using fuel cell technology:

Since a fuel cell is a device that produces electricity directly from hydrogen fuel, its

application can be for anything that requires power in the form of electricity, rotary power or

heat.

They can be made small enough to power a cellular phone or large enough to power atown, without significantly changing the design.

Some major applications include all ground or surface vehicles, such as cars, utilityvehicles, trains, boats, jet skis, snow mobiles, motorcycles, etc.

In power production, such as commercial utility power, remote power and portablepower production.

Fuel cells have been used to produce electricity and water in all our Gemini, Apollo andSpace Shuttle missions.

Two billion people, one-third of the world's population currently does not haveelectricity. Additionally, remote and portable powers are two other important early

applications for fuel cells.

The fuel cell can be used in a toy propeller and in a mobile phone.


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~Chapter 2: Hydrogen Fuel ~

# HYDROGEN FUEL #

Hydrogen is the simplest element. An atom of hydrogen consists of only one proton and

one electron. It's also the most plentiful element in the universe. Hydrogen is a colorless,

odorless gas that accounts for75 percent of the entire universe's mass.Despite its simplicity

and abundance, hydrogen doesn't occur naturally as a gas on the Earthit's always combined

with other elements. Water, for example, is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen (H2O).

Hydrogen is also found in many organic compounds, notably the hydrocarbons that make up

many of our fuels, such as gasoline, natural gas, methanol, and propane.

Fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel and coal all produce airborne pollutants. Even

methanol and "natural gas" create noxious fumes. Some of the major pollutants created from

these fossil fuels are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and methane. All of

these pollutants contribute to smog and also play a major part as culprits behind acid rain and

global warming.

Hydrogen fuel is a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. Wind, solar and hydro power can

produce hydrogen fuel that is 100% pollution-free and 100% renewable.Hydrogen can be

made from water, and when burned, turns back into water. Hydrogen is available to everyone,

everywhere - from the corner fueling station to the large industrial facility on the outskirts of

town.

In the future, hydrogen could also join electricity as an important energy carrier. An

energy carrier moves and delivers energy in a usable form to consumers. Renewable energy

sources, like the sun and wind, can't produce energy all the time. But they could, for example,

produce electric energy and hydrogen, which can be stored until it's needed. Hydrogen can

also be transported (like electricity) to locations where it is needed.

Hydrogen can be separated from hydrocarbons through the application of heata processknown as reforming. Currently, most hydrogen is made this way from natural gas.


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An electrical currentcan also be used to separate water into its components of oxygen andhydrogen. This process is known as electrolysis.

Some algae and bacteria, using sunlightas their energy source, even give off hydrogen undercertain conditions.

Hydrogen fuel cell:


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Why H2 as fuel?

Reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions:

hydrogen in very high efficiency fuel cells for our transportation and to generate power,

we could significantly reduce the GHG emissions - especially if the hydrogen is produced using

renewable resources, nuclear power, or clean fossil technologies.

Reduce AirPollutionStrengthen:

Fuel cells powered by pure hydrogen emit no harmful pollutants.

National Energy Security:

Hydrogen and fuel cell technology have the potential to strengthen our national energy

security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Improve Energy Efficiency:

Fuel cells are significantly more energy efficient than combustion-based power generation

technologies. A conventional combustion-based power plant typically generates electricity at

efficiencies of 33 to 35 percent, while fuel cell plants can generate electricity at efficiencies of up

to 60 percent.


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~Chapter 3 : Nanotechnology ~

# NANOTECHNOLOGY #

Nanotechnology is the technology working with matter that is at the scale of one-billionth

of a meter (1 nanometer = 10-9)

, or 1/75,000th the size of a human hair or 500 times smaller than

the wavelength of visible light!

Nanotechnology refers to research being done at the atomic and molecular level of less

than 100 nanometers,

The properties of those products depend on how those atoms are arranged. If we

rearrange the atoms in coal we can make diamond. If we rearrange the atoms in sand (and add afew other trace elements) we can make computer chips. If we rearrange the atoms in dirt, waterand air we can make potatoes.

Nanotechnology is a hybrid science combining engineering and chemistry.

it let us

Get essentially every atom in the right place. Make almost any structure consistent with the laws of physics that we can specify in

molecular detail.

Have manufacturing costs not greatly exceeding the cost of the required raw materials andenergy.

y ORIGINNanotechnology was first introduced in 1959, in a talk by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist

Richard Feynman, entitled "There's Plenty ofRoom at the Bottom".

y BUILDING WITH ATOMS:Atoms are the building blocks for all matter in our

universe.You and everything around you are made of

atoms. Nature has perfected the science ofmanufacturing matter molecularly. Cells are nature's

nanomachines.


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# PROBLEMS WITH H2 FUEL CELL #

A major obstacle to establishing the "hydrogen economy" is the safe and cost-effectivestorage and transport of hydrogen fuel.

Despite the high efficiency of energy that fuel cells produce, some of the energy is lostdue to the over-potential of the anodic and cathodic reactions. This is simply the voltage

needed to overcome the potential barrier of the oxygen and hydrogen electrode reactions.

As soon as the current flows through the cells, the voltage drops and the efficiency of thecell decreases. Thus, more efficient materials need to be used in order to prevent the dramatic

voltage drop.

Also, efficiency is lost by internal cell resistance.

Finally, a major limitation of the cell is the onboard hydrogen storage. Hydrogen can be

stored in a rechargeable metal hydride or in a hydride compound that releases hydrogen when

reacted with water. Physically, hydrogen can be stored as compressed gas, cryogenically cooledliquid, or through the absorption of a surface. Despite these methods, storing enough hydrogen to

power a car requires a large tank. With the current technology, the compressed hydrogen tanksize required to contain 6.8 kg hydrogen for a 1500 kg vehicle with a driving range of 560 km is

340 L at 25 MPa. A typical gasoline tank for such a vehicle is 70 L. Thus, the challenge today isto discover a way to store enough compressed hydrogen in the vehicle without consuming too

much space.


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# NANOTECHNOLOGY IN FUEL CELL #

The near-atomic size of nanomaterials, combined with the dynamic properties of their surface

atoms, mean they can be used to alter and enhance the performance of raw materials, such as zinc,aluminum and iron, yielding materials with chemical, mechanical, electrical and optical behavior that

goes beyond the capability of the original material.

Current Hydrogen Storage/ Production Methods:

As the race continues for creating a practical hydrogen fuel cell car, many differentmethods of storing or producing the elemental hydrogen required for the fuel cell to function.Some of these methods are presently being used in prototype vehicles, while others are still

in the lab. The major methods that are being used by auto companies are methanol

reformation and gasoline reformation.

Cutting Edge Research:

Much of the technology that automobile companies are now using in fuel cell cars involvegetting the hydrogen from another source, namely methanol or gasoline, but research is beingdone so that elemental hydrogen may be stored by itself. Work is also being done to combat the

hydrogen storage problem indirectly with the usage of acidic electrolytes to increase thetemperature at which the cells run at, and increasing the productivity of the hydrogen stored.

This would mean less would need to be stored. The methods of direct storage that appear to bethe most promising are those of glass microspheres, carbon nano tubes, and graphite nano fibers.

Glass Microspheres:

Glass microspheres are glass bubbles ranging in size from 25 to 500 microns in diameter, with athickness of about 1 micron. When the spheres are heated to temperatures of200 degrees to 400

degrees Celsius, the glass becomes very permeable, allowing them to be filled with hydrogengas. When the temperature is lowered, the spheres trap the hydrogen inside. When reheated, the

hydrogen can escape for use. This process can store hydrogen well, but it has not yet beenimplemented for use with fuel cells, let alone automobiles.

Carbon Nanotubes:

Carbon nanotubes are also a new method for the storage of hydrogen. One way carbon can

arrange itself is in a sheet pattern like a honeycomb. This is the graphite form of carbon. The

sheets are not bound tightly together, but if they are wrapped on top of each other, a very strongcarbon nanotube is formed. Carbon nanotubes were discovered by Terry Baker, professor of

chemistry at Northeastern University,


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The interesting part concerning these carbon nanotubes is that their widths are just large

enough for hydrogen molecules but too small for larger molecules.

Carbon Nanotubes

Graphite Nanofibers:

Another approach utilizes graphite nanofibers which hydrogen-powered cars could travel

up to 8000 kilometers on a single tank. Graphite nanofibers can store up to three times their ownweight in hydrogen under pressure at room temperature. They consist of stacks of graphite

platelets and vary from 5 to 100 millimeters in length and from 5 to 100 nanometers in diameter.As a result, 6.2 liters of hydrogen per gram of graphite can be achieved by covering the surface

of the graphite crystal in a single layer of hydrogen molecules.


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Nanocatalysis:

Nanotechnology can contribute to solving future needs for energy technologies,

especially in new generations solar photovoltaic, the hydrogen economy, more efficientconventional energy production and energy saving for industry as well as consumers. Improved

battery or fuel cell technologies coupled with coatings and nanocrystalline materials can increasethe efficiency of solar cells while lowering their cost. Developments in nanoscale structures

might offer high efficiency, low-cost solar cells a few years down the road. The increasing trendtoward distributed and mobile uses of power is driving innovation in small-scale fuel cells and

advanced battery technologies, and in energy savings measures and technologies, such as highlyefficient colour displays, efficient wireless communications technologies, and power

management systems.

Short-term impacts include:

Highly Efficient Hydrogen SolarCells:High efficiency fuel cells, including hydrogen storage in nanotubes. The use of

crystalline materials as catalyst supports has yielded catalysts with well-defined pore sizes in the

range of 1nm to reduce energy consumption and waste.

Mesoporous Materials Properties:Mesoporous materials with pore sizes in the range of 10-100nm, is now widely used for

the removal of ultra fine contaminants.

Nanocomposites, Their StructuralComponents:Nanocomposites that can replace structural metallic components in automobiles;

widespread use of those nanocomposites could lead to a reduction of 1.5 billion litres of gasoline

consumption over the life of one years production of vehicles, thereby reducing carbon dioxideemissions annually by more than 5 billion kilograms.

Applications and Properties ofNanoparticles:The replacement of carbon black in tyres by nanometre-scale particles of inorganic clays

and polymers is a new technology that is leading to the production of environmentally friendly,wear-resistant tyres.

Nanomaterials-for Hydrogen Storage for Mobile Application:One of the main obstacles to the implementation of fuel cells for mobile application is, at

present, still the technologically and economically reasonable storage of the fuel (especially


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hydrogen). Nanomaterials, due to their increased active surface area, basically possess

potential to be a lightweight high-efficient storage media for hydrogen.

Material Types Used for Hydrogen Storage:With regard to operating conditions (temperature, pressure), different material types

should be taken into consideration. Nanocrystalline light metal hydride particles from

magnesium-nickel alloys are suitable for operating temperatures up to 300C, and LaNi5 alloysfor low temperature hydrogen storage up to 80C. Also, for carbon nanotubes materials or alkali

metal doped graphite nanofibers, high hydrogen absorption capacities are reported, but werepartly not reproducible.

Storing sunshine:

One technology company has come up with a solar cell which uses sunlight to split water

into oxygen and hydrogen fuel.The secret is a thin nano-structured film,which has doubled thecell's efficiency. Metal oxide particles, each just 20-30 nanometers across, provide the vast

surface area needed to split water efficiently.

Nanomaterials Within FuelCells:The most prominent nanostructured material in fuel cells (PEFC and PAFC) is the

catalyst consisting of carbon supported precious metal particles in the range of 15nm. This

structure is necessary in order to increase the surface to volume ratio of the noble metals thusreducing the costs of the material. A further approach to nanostructured materials is theintroduction of nanoscale hydrophilic (high affinity to water) inorganic materials like silica into

the electrolyte polymers in order to improve water retention of the membrane at elevatedtemperatures. The functioning of the cell is related to the hydrogen ion conductivity of the

membrane, which decreases strongly if water content is not sufficient.

Chemical Vapour Decomposition (CVD):

The CEA is developing aChemical Vapour Decomposition process for carbon nanotube

deposition, which plays the role of a much finerPlatinum catalyst (with high specific surface) for

decreasing the content ofP

latinum especially for high energy density performance micro fuelcells.


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Direct Methanol FuelCells:Several Institutions in Germany like the Research Centre Jlich, The ZSW and the DLR

(German Aerospace Centre) are developing Direct Methanol Fuel Cells where liquid methanol is

directly converted in the fuel cells. The Max Planck Institutes forSolid State research in Stuttgart

and forP

olymer research in Mainz collaborate on tailor made polymer membranes, in whichnanoparticles can transport positively charged hydrogen atoms through the membrane in anoptimal way.

Production OfCeramic Nanopowders:

Further developments in this direction are the University ofStuttgart with nanostructuredpolyarylene membranes and the Research Centre Geesthacht. The companies ItN Nanovation

and Nextechmaterials produce ceramic nanopowders for make solid-state electrolyte membranesforSOFC fuel cells.

Production Of MineralN

anopowders:

CEA Research Centre is working on developing and characterising new mineral

nanopowders of the oxide type using super critical CO2 phase (above 74 bars and 31C).

Submicron (100-600 nm) TiO2 spherical particles with high specific area are obtained and

consisting of nanometric grains (1-5 nm). The same process can allow obtaining ceramic powder(Lanthanum and gallium perovskite, doped ceria or ittria zirconia) for thin layer ofSolid Oxide

Fuel Cells electrolyte for example.

Modulation Of Electrolyte Materials:

In the short term, nanotechnologies will help to solve the problems relating to electrodesand electrolyte materials through the modulation of the exchange surfaces. SONY has adopted asimilar approach: fullerene materials are employed as electrodes to deliver methanol-based fuel

cells with fast response times at ambient temperatures.

Nanocrystalline Zirconia Films:

Nanocrystalline zirconia films as new electrolyte material for SOFC fuel cells are

synthesized at the University of Darmstadt. They hope to increase the ionic conductivity and thegas permeability by reducing the electrolyte layer thickness compared with present electrolyte

materials. In the long term, nanotechnologies could also impact on fuel cell development in the

area of high capacity hydrogen storage systems.


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# TANDEM CELL #

Solar engineers have reported early nanotechnology-based breakthroughs in solartechnology that might allow a far wider spectrum of solar energy to be captured by future solar

cells, allow solar cells to be able to convert solar energy to electricity far more efficiently, allowsolar collectors to be painted on just about any surface, and could bring down the cost of solar

technology significantly.

Tandem Cell

The Tandem Cell technology developed by Hydrogen Solar uses two photocatalytic cells

in series which are coated with a nano-crystalline - extremely thin- metal oxide film. Having ananoscale coating makes the surface area far greater and means that hydrogen can be produced

efficiently without the need for polluting fossil fuels.

The Tandem Cell consists of two photo-catalytic cells in series: the front cell absorbsthe high energy ultraviolet and blue light in sunlight, using nano-crystalline metal oxide thin

films to generate electron-hole pairs. The longer wavelength light in the green to red regionpasses through the front cell and is absorbed in a Graetzel Cell producing electrical potential

under nearly all light conditions. The two cells are connected electrically and together providethe potential required to split the water molecules in the electrolyte. The Cell is fabricated from

widely-available and cheap materials.

The cells capture the full spectrum of ultraviolet light - the Suns rays, thenUltraviolet sunlight passes through glass skin of cell,

Light is captured in glass coated with nano-crystalline film,Nano-coating properties enable the glass to conduct electricity because electrons are

captured and carried away on conductors, which is used to separate the water into oxygenand hydrogen.


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Applications:Early applications of the Tandem Cell will be in vehicle refueling and in supplemental

energy for industrial and domestic buildings. Hydrogen generated from sunlight and water in theTandem Cell offers a renewable vehiclefuel with no carbon or carbon dioxide emissions. We

envisage local generation of hydrogen from solar energy using Tandem Cell arrays on roofs toproduce fuel for local journeys. We also foresee a national infrastructure of refueling stations

which would provide for long distance journeys. They would produce hydrogen on a largerscale and transport it by tanker or pipeline as oil and gas is today. We foresee the energy needs

of buildings will be provided by a combination of renewable sources. The roof of a building,particularly a large building, provides an area for the generation of hydrogen fuel by Tandem

Cells, which can be stored for use in HVAC and back-up power generation. In addition, in hot

climates e.g. California, the Tandem Cell will absorb energy, reducing the external heat

load on the building and thus reducing the air conditioning requirements. A unique feature ofthe Tandem Cell technology is that it will work in reduced sunlight conditions, when no

direct beam radiation is present, although clearly a sunny day in California will produce

more.


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# POLYMER ELECTROLYTE MEMBRANE (PEM) #

At the heart of the fuel cell is a thin, polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM). Themembrane is an extremely sophisticated material, and its characteristics determine whether a fuel

cell will be efficient or inefficient, compact or bulky, economical or expensive, reliable orunreliable, convenient or clumsy.

Key fuel cell engine requirements map directly to the membrane

The membrane is the key to solving the fuel

cell engine problem


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# NANOTECHNOLOGY POSSIBILITIES #

Carbon nanotubes are essentially sheets of graphite rolled into extremely narrow tubes afew nanometers in diameter. Because of their nanoscale size and excellent conductivity,carbon nanotubes are being studied as the possible building blocks of future electronic

devices. Nanotechnology may one day enable the detection of disease on the cellular level and the

targeting of treatment only to tissues where it is needed in a patients body, potentiallyalleviating many unpleasant and sometimes harmful side effects.

Nanosensors already are being developed to allow fast, reliable, real-time monitoring foreverything from chemical attack to environmental leaks.

Woven into a cable, carbon nanotubes could provide electricity transmission lines withsubstantially improved performance over current power lines.

Certain nanomaterials show promise for use in making more efficient solar cells and thenext-generation catalysts and membranes that will be used in hydrogen-powered fuel cells.

The first products made from nanomachines will be stronger fibers. Eventually, scientistswill be able to replicate anything, including diamonds, water and food. Famine could be

eradicated by machines that fabricate foods to feed the hungry. In the computer industry, the ability to shrink the size of transistors on silicon

microprocessors will soon reach its limits. Nanotechnology will be needed to create a newgeneration of computer components. Molecular computers could contain storage devices

capable of storing trillions of bytes of information in a structure the size of a sugar cube. Nanotechnology may have its biggest impact on the medical industry. Patients will drink

fluids containing nanorobots programmed to attack and reconstruct the molecular structure ofcancer cells and viruses to make them harmless. There's even speculation that nanorobotscould slow or reverse the aging process, and life expectancy could increase significantly.

Nanorobots could also be programmed to perform delicate surgeries -- such nanosurgeons

could work at a level a thousand times more precise than the sharpest scalpel. By working onsuch a small scale, a nanorobot could operate without leaving the scars that conventionalsurgery does. Additionally, nanorobots could change your physical appearance. They could

be programmed to perform cosmetic surgery, rearranging your atoms to change your ears,nose, eye color or any other physical feature you wish to alter.

Nanotechnology has the potential to have a positive effect on the environment. For instance,airborne nanorobots could be programmed to rebuild the thinning ozone layer. Contaminants

could be automatically removed from water sources, and oil spills could be cleaned upinstantly. Manufacturing materials using the bottom-up method of nanotechnology also

creates less pollution than conventional manufacturing processes. Our dependence on non-renewable resources would diminish with nanotechnology. Many resources could be

constructed by nanomachines. Cutting down trees, mining coal or drilling for oil may nolonger be necessary. Resources could simply be constructed by nanomachines.

The promises of nanotechnology sound great, don't they? Maybe even unbelievable? But

researchers say that we will achieve these capabilities within the next century. And ifnanotechnology is, in fact, realized, it might be the human race's greatest scientific achievement

yet, completely changing every aspect of the way we live.


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# SAYINGS ON NANOTECHNOLOGY #

The convergence of nanotechnology with information technology, biology and socialsciences will reinvigorate discoveries and innovation in many areas of the economy."

~ George W. Bush, President of the United States

"Within 10 years, the entire semiconductor industry and 1/2 of the pharmaceutical industry

will rely on nanotechnology."

~ Mike Roco, National Science Foundation

"We believe nanotechnology could be the next growth innovation."

~ Steve Milunovich, Merrill LynchG

lobal Technology Strategist

"It's the nearest to creation you can get because you are building from the essence of all

matter."

~ Margaret Somerville, ethicist

"We are not yet in the hydrogen economy, but it has the potential to take over when the oileconomy becomes untenable,"

~ Dr David Auty, chief executive of Hydrogen Solar

We want to build a device that you can put in the sun, fill it with water, and get hydrogen

without using any outside source of energy.

~ Jin Zhang, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCSC

Understanding the properties of materials on the tiniest scale will have an impact on

everything from medicine to manufacturing."


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# CONCLUSION #

In 1990 few automobile companies or utilities were openly pursuing the fuel cell as a

production power plant. Fuel cells are a key element of the publicized hydrogen economy,which is a long-term goal when fossil fuel become scarce also as a result of an ever increasingworld population. Many companies now are turning to nanotechnology in order to improve the

performance of their fuel cell products. It is reasonable to expect almost every power producingdevice in the world to be replaced by fuel cell devices over the next 50 to 80 years. Clearly, the

market potential for such an endeavor is in the trillions of dollars. The fuel cell has recently beentermed the "Micro chip of the energy industry".

In the effort to cut auto pollution, hybrids and battery cars are a step forward, assuminganybody will buy them. But they're far from perfect: Hybrids burn gasoline, making air

pollution. Batteries run down, and even though battery cars are called "zero emissions" vehicles,they generally just move the pollution rather than eliminate it. On the horizon, however, is a carwhere "zero emissions" meets truth-in-advertising. Bye-bye catalytic converters and associated

pollution-control gadgetry. In fact, so long to pollution entirely. In fuel-cell cars running onhydrogen, the waste products amount to water and heat.

The fuel cell, furthermore, is a new kind of engine -- one without moving parts! Evenif fuel cells burn alcohol or gasoline, they will be far more efficient than today's internal

combustion engines, and will produce less carbon dioxide, the primary culprit in globalwarming. "If we want future generations to enjoy the same kind of mobility we have become

accustomed to, the fuel cell is now the only viable option in light of our planet's limited fossil

fuel energy resources."

In transportation we see applications in specific service vehicles, electric scooters andcertain marine applications. For utility applications there are high value niche markets in remotevillages around the world. Two billion people, one-third of the world's population currently does

not have electricity. Additionally, remote and portable power are two other important earlyapplications for fuel cells.

Nanotechnology will improve the performance of fuel cell drastically. By the use of

nano fuel cell one can run his/her vehicles by filling fuel only once in a year. Isnt itamazing? Its a wide and new incoming technology which is not only helpful in fuel cell butalso in other fields like computer, biomedical, electronics etc. It will create new industrial

revolution.


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# BIBLIOGRAPHY #

Reference Book:Nanotechnology: A gentle introduction to the next big idea.

~ Ratner Mark & Ratner Daniel. Web sites: http://www.cem.msu.edu http://www.dri.edu http://www.cem.msu.edu http://www.answers.com http://nano.mtu.edu/HydrogenFuelCell_start.html http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/ http://www.forbesinc.com http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk http://www.4hydrogen.com http://www.nanoinvestornews.com http://www.hydrogennow.org http://www.nasa.gov http://www.greencarcongress.com http://www.nanophase.com

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