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QuantumSphere to Address Efficient, Clean Production of Hydrogen Fuel– Leverages
Company’s Research, Nanoscale Products for Hydrogen Generation to Establish
Disruptive Solution for Hydrogen Economy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Santa Ana, CA, U.S.A. -June 8, 2006 – QuantumSphere, a leading
manufacturer of nanoscale metals and alloys for applications in energy and
other markets demanding
advanced materials, announced it has launched a major research initiative to
provide breakthrough capabilities for the generation of hydrogen that could
deeply impact OEMs and consumers on a global scale. There is a significant
pent-up demand
in the marketplace for a solution that enables the cheap, clean and efficient
production of hydrogen fuel. However, current methods of hydrogen generation
have not adequately addressed these needs, as conventional methods of production
ultimately require the use of fossil fuels to generate hydrogen– thus hampering
the full realization of a hydrogen economy.
“The traditional method of producing hydrogen has been known for decades,
and little has changed in this industry. Major oil companies have spent billions
on their infrastructure and are thus slow to adopt new innovations in the hydrogen
production process,” said Kevin Maloney, CEO, QuantumSphere, Inc. “As
a result, hydrogen is still typically produced from steam reformation of hydrocarbons
or gasified coal. Generally considered the most efficient process, steam reformation
produces four pounds of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gasses) for every one pound
of hydrogen produced. This presents a significant problem, since billions of
pounds of hydrogen will be used as the market migrates toward the use of hydrogen
and other renewable sources of energy, and away from conventional resources,” Maloney
added.
QuantumSphere to Leverage Research, Set New Standard for Hydrogen Generation
The ever-increasing cost of gasoline has significantly contributed to a burgeoning
interest in the hydrogen economy as an alternative to an oil-based economy.
However, the shift from oil necessitates a need for new technologies to be
developed before a hydrogen economy can be realized. One alternative that eliminates
the need to produce hydrogen from fossil fuels is to generate hydrogen from
water, leveraging water electrolysis. To date, only 5% of hydrogen is made
by water electrolysis since the process relies on the use of platinum, which
is cost-prohibitive.
“Several companies are struggling to efficiently generate hydrogen by
water electrolysis with poor results thus far as today’s processes use
expensive platinum electrodes. The high cost of platinum leads to the use of
electrodes that have a small surface area,” said Dr. Douglas Carpenter,
Chief Scientific Officer, QuantumSphere, Inc. “Our water electrolysis
research will ultimately enable us to leverage the Company’s nanomaterials
to produce cheap hydrogen using water and electricity. QuantumSphere’s
electrodes use QSI-Nano® metals and alloys that are ten times less expensive
when compared to platinum, offering an orders-of-magnitude increase in surface
area (due to nano-scale size) to provide low cost, energy-efficient processes
and materials to generate hydrogen,” Dr. Carpenter added.
QuantumSphere’s water electrolysis processes alleviate the dependence
on platinum, deliver 80% cheaper electrodes with increased surface area and
activity while reducing the electrical potential that resists the water splitting
process. “Our process only uses water and electricity– no green house
gasses are produced, and when hydrogen and oxygen are recombined in a fuel
cell, the end-product generates pure water and electricity,” said Dr.
Kim McGrath, Director of Fuel Cell Research, QuantumSphere, Inc. “The
electricity needed for this process can be from wind, solar or hydroelectric
sources to make it a totally renewable energy cycle,” said Dr. McGrath.
QuantumSphere will announce the results of its research in Q4 2006 that will
reveal performance data when compared to baseline experiments with platinum
electrodes.
Federal Government Realizes Need, Initiates Funding for Hydrogen Research
President
Bush’s previous photo opportunity at one of the first U.S.
hydrogen filling stations signaled that the hydrogen economy is becoming a
reality. As a result of the White House’s hydrogen ambitions, President
Bush’s energy bill increased funding for hydrogen research and development
by nearly $2 billion over the next five years and it authorized significant
additional funding for demonstration projects and tax incentives for consumers
who buy hydrogen fuel cells. The federal government also established the FreedomCar
project, a partnership that includes the Department of Energy, automobile manufacturers
and others working to develop commercially-sustainable hydrogen-powered automobiles.
Additionally, the President’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative seeks to reverse
America’s growing dependence on foreign oil by developing the technology
needed for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells.
In a State of the Union Address, President Bush discussed the importance of “…a
simple chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen generates energy, which
can be used to power a car producing only water, not exhaust fumes. With a
new national commitment, our scientists and engineers will overcome obstacles
to taking these cars from laboratory to showroom,” said Bush. Bush also
commented on how the hydrogen economy will require “…important
innovation to make our air significantly cleaner, and our country much less
dependent on foreign sources of energy.”
About QuantumSphere, Inc
QuantumSphere is a manufacturer of nanoscale metals and alloys for applications
in portable power, renewable energy, electronics, aerospace, defense and other
markets demanding advanced materials. QuantumSphere’s proprietary technology
enables the production of ultra-pure, highly uniform nanometals and alloys
under 50 nanometers in high volume at commercial prices with the potential
to be utilized in a large number of new applications. QuantumSphere has also
created an extensive intellectual property portfolio around its process capabilities
and end-use commercial applications. QuantumSphere seeks to leverage its market
position to manufacture and ship high-performance catalyst materials and electrode
devices for clean-energy applications such as batteries and micro fuel cells
for portable power and hydrogen generation through electrolysis, among others.
QuantumSphere also works closely with leading universities by funding research
to validate QuantumSphere-Nano materials and generate licensing rights to intellectual
property for disruptive high-value commercial applications. For more information,
please visit www.qsinano.com.