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“NIRT’s goal is to find societal benefits for nanoscale technology,” Zhong said. “Therefore, the major focus of our team’s fuel-cell research involves the use of this developing technology.”
The team comprises specialists in their field who contribute specific skills to the research outside of the basic chemistry, which is Zhong’s expertise. For example, Susan Lu, System Science and Industrial Engineering at Binghamton University, focuses on statistics from test results, and can thereby evaluate the reliability of fuel cells. Bahgat Sammakia, Mechanical Engineering, also at Binghamton, is expert in materials characterization and electronics packaging, coordinating equipment and research facility use. A fellow chemist from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Lichang Wang, has significant experience in molecular modeling and computational chemistry of the nanoscale catalysts under consideration.
The NIRT grant provides more resources that will sustain the team for a longer time, which allows it to conduct more in-depth research of nanotechnology into a critical area of fuel-cell development, Zhong added.
The government is willing to invest in this area of alternative energy research, whether as tax breaks to hybrid car owners or NSF grants to scientists such as Zhong and his team, because the payback in environmental protection is so significant. Fuel cells produce the most environmentally friendly by-product of any energy source: pure water that can be returned to the earth or air without detriment.
“Money spent up front is worth it to them because it represents a clean technology,” Zhong said.
While hydrogen-fueled power sources are now mostly engineered for use in automobiles, they have enormous potential to run factories and other large facilities, he added.
Zhong notes that estimates for producing commercially viable fuel cells range from an optimistic five years to a more realistic 15.
Industry sources, notably automobile manufacturers such as Honda, are also contributing to the research for lower cost yet effective fuel cells.
“No car company can afford not to do fuel-cell technology research,” Zhong said.
“Remember what happened to Kodak and photographic film. Once, they set the standard and were the industry leaders. Now, others have taken the lead in the era of digital cameras,” he added.
— Katherine Karlson
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