Eco-Friendly Fuel Cells the "Thermopower Wave" of the Future (Diversity) Published Sept. 14, 2010 By Maria Callier Office of Scientific Research ARLINGTON, Virginia -- Funded jointly by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Science Foundation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers are exploring an exciting new technology of interest to the Air Force based on its potential for converting chemical energy to fuel cells for use in micro machines, sensors and emergency communication beacons. Throughout their various investigations, the MIT researchers faced a major challenge in activating trial devices without using too much energy. Accordingly, they explored the use of assorted lasers, electrical sparks, and direct heat from a resistor before discovering the "thermopower wave." Since that breakthrough finding, the wave technology has generated substantial attention, primarily due to its 100% nontoxic, energy-saving properties and its capacity to infuse tiny batteries with up to 10 times the power of small commercial batteries. The key components behind this dynamic innovation are carbon nanotubes--molecular wires that, when coated with fuel, can conduct heat and create an energy wave. MIT researchers Wonjoon Choi and Joel T. Abrahamson; Drs. Michael Strano, Nitish Nair, Jae-Hee Han, Changsik Song, and Seunghyun Hong; and Professor Seunghyun Baik believe the waves may pave the way for a new generation of energy sources, forming a basis for new fuel cell types capable of continuously converting condensed liquid fuel into electrical energy. Along these lines, the scientists look forward to leveraging transportation fuels, such as ethanol or formic acid, to further expand the potential applications of thermopower wave devices. They are also working to develop refueling systems that, by covering the CNTs with more fuel, will enable the devices to be used more than once per generated wave.