A new silicon-based fuel cell is being developed that could be used to replace the BA 5590 battery, the most widely used battery by US military operatives in the field.

Neah Power Systems received a $2 million federal grant in 2003 to develop the small battery, and the company is working through the Office of Naval Research to deliver fuel cell batteries that will be used by the US Marine Corps to power small electronics.

The company had run into some problems with its development of its Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) designed fuel cells, because the amount of power required to make the fuel cell effective also needed a large PEM surface area.

But Neah has managed to get around the problem, by using a honeycomb structure to dramatically increase the surface area, thereby vastly improving the power output of the fuel cell.

"We took an alternative approach with silicon," explained Gregg Makuch, vice president of marketing at Neah.

And he confirmed: "We are moving from research into the engineering and development phase."

As the fuel cell is powered by methanol, Mr Makcuh stated that soldiers would have to carry methanol cartridges instead of batteries, which are heavier and therefore weigh down the soldier when in the field.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd