A new sodium metal fuel cell could help clean up transportation
1 min read
Summary
Researchers at MIT have developed a fuel cell that runs on liquid sodium, which is more readily available than materials such as lithium and hydrogen, and could provide a higher density of stored energy.
While the reactions in the cell generate electricity, the products are then removed and replaced with fresh fuel, avoiding the need for recharging, which can degrade conventional batteries.
Among the challenges of the technology will be removing and reusing the chemical by-product of the reactions, sodium hydroxide, and ensuring the safety of a process that involves liquid sodium, which reacts strongly with water.
Another of the researchers’s companies, Propel Aero, has been set up to commercialise the fuel cell and has received funding from ARPA-E’s Propel-1K programme.