Samsung Readies Portable Fuel Cell

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1093&e=1&u=/pcworld/20040406/tc_pcworld/115549' target='_blank'>http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1093&e=1&u=/pcworld/20040406/tc_pcworld/115549</a><br /><br /></div>"Samsung Electronics, has successfully developed a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), the company says. Direct methanol fuel cells mix methanol with air and water to produce electrical power and are viewed by many as a potential successor to Lithium-Ion and other batteries used in devices such as notebook personal computers and other portable electronics devices. Many major electronics companies are developing DMFCs, and Samsung says its new fuel cell could allow a notebook computer to run for 10 hours on a 100 cubic centimeter cartridge of methanol."<br /><br /> 8O A 10 hour charge! Cool. Too bad it we won't be seeing these for at least a year, but I would guess it will be closer to 2. Wait a second, isn't methanol flammable? Suddenly this doesn't sound like such a good idea.

[possmann]

Thats what got me when reading this article - a flaming PPC or smartphone - Not good. How would they regulate this for air travel? Not only that are they looking at these cells to be something like lighters where you would refill the cell with more fuel?

It's nice to see innovation in this area, but you just have to wonder if this is going in the right direction... :?

[James Sonne]

And battery acid can blind people, and a stylus can poke someone's eye out or gouge a hole in their chest. Many common items that are taken onboard a plane, or are sitting under your kitchen sink can be used to kill, or to burn its way through a piece of metal, or anything an educated person wants to be able to do with it.

We can't tape pillows to every corner of the table, there's always going to be someone that's going to hit their head and fall down crying.

I would image that these would become a form of disposable battery, much like Duracell batteries in the grocer's checkout line. When the battery is finished there won't be any hazardous material left in one of these cartridges and you could recycle the container it came in, whether that be aluminum or plastic, whatever is best suited.

Sounds like a plan, but I don't like the idea of reverting to disposable batteries. I want to charge my device at home, I don't want to have to go buy methanol somewhere to fill it up.

[ShivShanks]

Wait a second, isn't methanol flammable? Suddenly this doesn't sound like such a good idea.

Actually the Lithium in the newer Lithium Ion batteries is much more spectacularly flammable. For example it is very very dangerous to physically harm these batteries. Don't even think of puncturing them if you want to stay the same as you were before :D Is that a concern? Of course not. For the most part these batteries are well shielded against such issues and you'd normally never get into the situation where the Lithium in the battery would ever get exposed. Similarly it would be possible to make Methanol batteries safe enough for everday use.
BTW isn't that huge gas tank you sit on top of everyday, hurtling at great speeds, also highly flammable? ;)

If you want to read more about battery technology and exploding Lithium Ion batteries then take a look at this article -
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=14417

[Mike Temporale]

:lol: Good points Shiv. Never thought about my current batteries being flamable. It's just something you take for granted, and never really look into that much.

As for gas tanks, they haven't always been as good as they are now. Does anyone remember the Pinto?

[possmann]

The Pinto - :lol:

I like the comment about recharging the battery... Add more fuel like you would a lighter? I sure don't see this as a "plug into the wall to recharge the battery" type of device...

[dlinker]

I see these for use when you're travelling. It would be best as an external device that charges your phone/PDA/laptop. When you can get to a power point on a wall, it's better to use that. But if you're on a plane, in a boat, camping etc this offers a great solution to extend battery life.