Because of their surface area and porosity, nanoporous materials are one of the most actively sought after materials in the modern technologies. They are finding use in a wide range of applications including microelectronics, medicine, energy storage, water purification, and environmental emissions. There are many differing methods of creating nanoporous...

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) provide electricity by using hydrogen as fuel and expelling heat and water as exhaust. PEMFCs are the promising power sources for automotive, stationary and mobile electronics because of their higher power densities and environmental benefits and hence they have attracted enormous interest. Unfortunately,...

Portable power sources with high energy densities and extended lifetimes have long been needed for use in remote environments. Batteries are commonly used, but radiate excessive heat, provide power for a relatively short period of time and require recharging or replacement. For many field applications, the power source is the heaviest system component...

Solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems require electrical inverters to convert direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC), the standard type of electricity supplied by utilities. Inverters make up a large portion of capital costs because they must be replaced periodically over the lifetime of a solar system. The mean time before...

Bandgap engineering in semiconductors can be used to produce optoelectronic devices, such as photovoltaic devices and lasers for operation in different wavelengths. A new bandgap (or wavelength) can be achieved by alloying together two (or more) semiconductor materials of different bandgaps. However, existing methods of growing planar epitaxial...

The process of using Tetraalkylammonium (“TAA”) based ionic liquids as a solvent to dissolve lithium salts has been shown to render an electrolyte solution having a wide electrochemical window for high voltage applications; however, in practice, the high viscosity of the electrolyte solution has limited the viability of the solution for many such...

Fuel cells are considered to be a likely alternative to current fuel sources. All fuel cells require electrolytes for conducting current. There are several types of fuel cells and they all have electrolytes that determine how the fuel cell works. Phosphoric acid based fuel cells are typically used in stationary applications, and higher power mobile...

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEM-FCs) are becoming an increasingly important technology in both stationary and mobile applications. Problems impeding the development of fuel cell technology mainly involve electrocatalysts and electrolyte membranes. Commercially available membranes limit the operating temperature range to an approximate...

Reliable electrical power is necessary for mission-critical computers and other systems in military and commercial applications. Inclement weather, natural disasters, and other events can disable the local power grid. When grid power is unavailable, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) can keep key systems powered and operational. However, these...

Currently, there is a surge in interest in fuel cell research, as companies across the globe race to take advantage of the high energy capacity that fuel cells provide in comparison to other portable electrochemical systems. Many approaches to fuel cell technology use strong acid electrolytes. Such systems suffer from corrosion problems, which limit...