Nanotechnology. It may sound like something out of Star Trek,, but for researchers and postgraduate students from the Inorganic Porous Media Group (IPMG) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) it is an integral part of designing cheap, green and renewable energy.
At the heart of this electro-chemical research is a fuel cell, which, by splitting water or methanol alcohol, generates clean energy.
And that’s where nanotechnology enters: nanophase materials — 60 000 times thinner than a hair — are mounted on support structures to become the key element that catalyses the generation of energy.
In addition, nanophase materials form the basis of the development of a highly effective proton-conductive membrane that can withstand the 90ÞC temperatures produced during energy creation.
By using this kind of inorganic material, the cost of fuel cell membranes can be decreased by up to 95%, making these fuel cells commercially viable, unlike the prohibitively expensive kinds used in countries such as Canada.
Such fuel cells could provide rural areas — isolated from the national power grid — with clean, cheap energy for lights, fridges and computers. In addition, they could be used as back-up generators in clinics, or even be the first step towards establishing small and micro-enterprises.
The fuel cell size would vary from smaller than a paperback book (to power a computer), to a truck-sized cell (for back-up generators).
‘In the needs of Africa, cost is the determining factor. If we can’t get the cost down, then it will never take off,” says IPMG research manager Leslie Petrik. ‘Here in South Africa, we are trying to solve the problems so that the fuel cell becomes a market reality.”
While the commercial realisation of this cell may still be three to five years away, there is already a spin-off from the research.
Three international patents, including the nanophases and proton-conductive membranes, as well as six South African patents, have been granted for the IPMG’s work in UWC’s chemistry department. ‘It is important to move from a manufacturing economy to a knowledge economy,” says Petrik, adding that other countries would have to pay for the use of this technology because of the patents’ licensing conditions.
Thirty-five students are involved hands-on in this research programme. Three out of four are black students and a significant number are women. ‘The skills they are learning are directly industry-related. [The research] is real. It’s based on real needs as industry must solve its problems,” says Petrik.
Employment opportunities also arise, for example, in provincial administrations, where graduates are needed to supervise water, anti-pollution and industry-related regulations, or to help devise more efficient systems for this.
The successful research programme was started in conjunction with Eskom’s Tertiary Education Support Programme almost 10 years ago. That partnership has thrived as the national state-owned electricity provider continues to look for new energy solutions for areas outside the national grid.
But the work of IPMG has also caught the attention, and financial support, of others like Sasol, Coaltech 2020 (the umbrella body of the coal mining industry) and the Water Research Commission.
The research has the potential to solve environmental pollution problems. Nanotechnology can be used to purify water by decomposing waste materials such as petrol, diesel, pesticides and excess levels of toxic elements like arsenic.
Such use of this technology is more cost-effective and environ-mentally friendly than current methods. The coal-mining sector, in particular, will benefit.