US scientists have developed a new material using a liquid processing technique that could revolutionise the manufacture of fuel cells and make them more affordable, Technology Review reports. 

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that a new material for use in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells conducts protons almost three times better than the material used at the moment. 

And their results, announced at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society, showed that this greatly increases power density, as does its structure which allows it to be easily moulded into patterns to increase its surface area. 

The professor in charge of the research, Joseph DeSimone, believes the surface area could be increased 20 to 40 times, with significant implications for the platinum-based cells. 

The improved power density means that a smaller fuel cell could generate enough power for a vehicle and because the new material is easy to work with, costs could be brought down – particularly as platinum is among the key metals used in any PEM fuel cells.

James McGrath of Virginia Tech said: "Fuel cell cars are currently ten times as expensive as conventional cars. A lot of that is related to processing. If you can simplify the processing, that would be great. 

"Joe [DeSimone]'s liquid processing technique has a lot of potential for fabricating the intricate patterns necessary to produce a fuel cell."
Fuel cells are often heralded as the holy grail of sustainable fuels, because their only significant by-product is water, with the latest breakthrough potentially helping to bring the technology closer to commercialisation. 

The German transport minister, Wolfgang Tiefensee, recently predicted that the technology would be ready for mass production by 2020.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd