Portable fuel cells powered by safe, high-energy hydrogen could revolutionize off-grid energy.
In this article, scientists developed a new hydrogen generator for easy-to-carry fuel cells that power small devices. They used a special chemical solution that releases hydrogen when it comes into contact with a catalyst in a small reactor. The solution is safe and efficient, holding a lot of energy in a small volume. By controlling how fast the solution flows over the catalyst, they controlled how much hydrogen is produced, matching it to the fuel cell’s needs. This means there's almost no leftover hydrogen during power generation. The technology described can power devices from small ones up to larger systems, ranging from 1 watt to thousands of watts.