石墨烯的新发现将推动燃料电池的发展

转自：2015-05-13 计量战略所         编译：计量战略所 

Gareth Hinds是英国国家物理实验室（NPL）电化学小组的首席研究科学家。英国《金融时报》引用了Gareth Hinds，介绍了研究最新发现的一个石墨烯的性质，这个发现可能将推动燃料电池的发展。
之前人们一直认为石墨烯材料是完全不可渗透的，最近曼彻斯特大学的研究人员发现实际上质子可以通过石墨烯材料。这项意外发现可能对燃料电池技术领域产生重大影响。燃料电池通过氢的电化学氧化产生电能。如果在电极上覆盖石墨烯膜，就可以把石墨烯膜当做过滤器，质子可以通过它，氢原子不行。
Gareth是英国国家物理实验室燃料电池研究项目的组长，他告诉金融时报由于这项新发现，燃料电池会更加稳定，也能产生更多电能。他说：“新发现会大幅推动这项有利于环境保护的技术的发展，并推动其商业化。”

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Graphene discovery could boost fuel cells

Gareth Hinds, Principal Research Scientist in the Electrochemistry Group at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), was quoted in the Financial Times, speaking about a newly-discovered property of graphene which could have major implications for fuel cell technology.

Researchers at the University of Manchester have discovered that the material, previously regarded as completely impermeable, will, in fact, let protons pass through it. The unexpected finding could revolutionise the technology of fuel cells, which generate power through the electrochemical oxidation of hydrogen. A graphene membrane between electrodes could be used as a filter to let through protons, but not hydrogen atoms.

Gareth, who leads NPL's fuel cell research programme, told the Financial Times that as a result fuel cells would be more stable and produce more power. "This would have major implications for an environmentally friendly technology on the brink of commercialisation," he said.

Gareth was also quoted in a Mail Online article on the discovery.

Read the full article in the Financial Times

Find out more about NPL's work on Fuel Cells

For further details, contact Gareth Hinds