Micro-Fuel Cell Runs Cellular Phone By Converting Alcohol To Electricity

Researchers at Manhattan Scientifics, Inc. (Los Alamos, NM) have successfully made a cellular telephone call using a phone powered by an alcohol-fueled pre-prototype micro-fuel cell. The call was made this month at the company's Los Alamos laboratory where the new micro-fuel cell is under development. A team led by Robert Hockaday, the company's chief fuel-cell scientist, ran the cellular phone continuously in standby for 24 hours and made periodic phone calls.

"We have achieved the minimum of 100 milliwatts of power output necessary to keep the phone in standby and simultaneously trickle charge a battery with our pre-prototype system," Hockaday says. "This is a major step in our effort to commercialize a long-life micro-fuel cell power system for portable electronics."

The pre-prototype breadboard system consisted of 20 miniature fuel cells on five sheets of plastic connected in series to deliver four volts to the cellular phone. The system was fueled with a 50% methanol water mixture.

The successful demonstration of the pre-prototype marks another significant milestone in the development of the micro-fuel cell, which was powered by a small amount of methanol and water commonly used as windshield washer fluid. For commercial use, the tiny energy source will be engineered to be smaller and lighter than a conventional rechargeable battery and is expected to be priced competitively with conventional cellular phone batteries.

"We expect to complete a fully working prototype before mid 1999," Hockaday says. "Our ultimate goal is to maintain a digital cellular telephone on standby for more than six months and to provide 100 hours of talk time with a single refueling of several ounces of a methanol/water mix."

Manhattan Scientifics is also developing a portable charging system utilizing its micro-fuel cell technology. If successfully developed, it could eliminate the need for wall-plug AC electrical battery charging. The company's portable charger, which it calls Power Holster, is being designed to provide a constant trickle charge to the telephone's conventional battery, thus creating an "always-on" powered system.

"The company's strategy is to first complete the working prototype and then identify an appropriate strategic corporate partner to manufacture and distribute the new energy devices," says Marvin Maslow, Manhattan Scientifics' CEO. "A number of Fortune/100 telecommunications, battery, film, and chemical companies are monitoring our progress and waiting for us to invite them to test our technology. We would like to eliminate the word re-charge from the English language and change it to refuel."

Manhattan Scientifics Inc. is a technology incubator currently developing patented technologies that address portable power and holographic media for data storage.

For more information, call 917-923-3300 or 212-780-1900.