SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific (SSCP) seeks to commercialize through license agreements and collaborative research and development agreements a non-fossil fuel means for the generation, safe storage, and recovery of hydrogen gas for use in fuel cell and hydrogen-based technologies. SSCP has developed a solar-powered "Hydrogen Sponge" that generates and safely stores hydrogen gas for use in fuel cell and hydrogen-based technologies without the use of fossil fuel energy. It consists of a modified version of a standard solar cell mated with a uniquely designed silicon substrate. The substrate consists of precisely engineered micro-chambers that provide both a micro-structure for electrodes, and reservoirs for the collection and safe storage of hydrogen gas. The micro-chambers allow hydrogen gas to be safely stored without the need for compression.
When the Hydrogen Sponge is placed in sunlight and seawater, it uses solar- powered water electrolysis to generate and safely store hydrogen gas in its substrate micro-chambers for later use, transport, or long-term storage. The hydrogen is then released by increasing pressure in the micro-chambers through mechanical, electrical, or thermal means. In theory, a 9-inch array of mated solar cells and substrate micro-chambers could generate 2.5 joules of useable power each second. This number could be increased by stacking multiple wafers, creating various arrays, increasing the micro-chamber size, or engineering more micro-chambers per square inch on a wafer.
Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels make up 83% of U.S. air pollution. The demand for fossil fuels is increasing as reserves are decreasing. It is believed that hydrogen gas is an ideal replacement for fossil fuels, but currently, hydrogen gas is either produced from fossil fuel-powered commercial processes or captured as a byproduct from natural gas and petroleum conversion, both of which contribute to global carbon emissions. Current methods for safely storing hydrogen gas also require fossil fuel energy; and most storage methods pose an explosive hazard to the end user because of highly compressed hydrogen gas.
Benefits:
- Eliminates the need for fossil fuels to generate and store hydrogen gas.
- May be used in any device that can utilize hydrogen gas to generate electricity.
- Provides a wide range of possibilities for storage volumes; does not require exotic metals/materials in manufacturing; works in simple seawater and sunlight; and is self-contained and reusable.
For more information, contact ssc_pac_t2@navy.mil.
