ダイレクトメタノール燃料電池（DMFC）

目次

Abstract

The direct methanol fuel cell or DMFC is emerging as a future winner in many of the applications that fuel cells can satisfy. DMFC is an important subset of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology. DMFC emergence is especially viable in the portable device sector. Commercialization is driven by consumer demands and desires for a superior power source that can operate alone or as a supplement or synergist with existing advanced battery technologies.

This niche market and technology report projects that the value of DMFCs in the U.S. will grow from the 2006 value of $14 million to $63 million by 2011. This is an average annual growth rate of 35%/year. Such a sizeable increase is significant but it is growing from a relatively small base number. This $63 million is the value of the unit itself and excludes the fuel container, the methanol delivery or reforming system as well as the device that the fuel cell might be included in and any balance of plant options for water control. The earliest adapter and the first big winner in DMFCs will be laptop computers. Military applications, enhanced cell phones and other hand held devices would follow adoption of DMFCs into the consumer acceptance.

Small portable devices are well suited, in terms of storage, safety, and energy density, to use of methanol as a fuel for fuel cells. Direct hydrogen feed for fuel cells requires complicated storage and would take much more space in small portable devices. There is also the safety issue of compressed hydrogen being allowed on airplanes. Cartridges of methanol can fit into existing retail channels or be available from OEMs. Methanol cartridges could be available through any number of delivery channels and accepted without difficulty into the consumer market. DMFCs are adapted to a hybrid system of portable devices such as trickle charging or recharging or the backup of secondary batteries inside a portable device. Recharging is a hybrid transitional approach or even a long-term approach to future commercialization of DMFCs.

Asia, principally Japan, is emerging as a big player in fuel cell development and especially in DMFC development and commercialization. Their predominance in the electronics and related manufacturing sectors has led these companies toward a vertical integration. Both in the U.S. and Japan there has been seen a need for the development of reliable and supplemental power sources for ever-improving and multi-faceted electronics and big companies prefer for this development to be under their own control and not dependent on an outside supply train at the early stages of development. These large corporations either acquire licensed technology or are developing their own."

Discussed are issues of passive feed and active feed for the methanol. There is also the question of what concentration of methanol can be used and how water management is handled. There is a niche being created by reformed methanol fuel cells. This report documents the technology approaches and profiles of the DMFC players as well as expands on the technology by looking at recent patents, membrane types, fuel concentration and delivery, and catalysts mechanisms. One of the first hurdles for fuel deliver is that gaseous diffusion layers were originally designed to handle, as the name suggests, gases. In DMFCs the feed is a liquid and presents a new set of parameters. If methanol is to be converted to pure hydrogen, that presents another set of problems in handling, storing or delivering the gaseous reforrmate fuel.

Table of Contents

• DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELLS
  • DISCLAIMER
  • AUTHORS CREDENTIALS
  • METHODOLOGY
  • SCOPE
  • CUSTOM ANALYSES AND CONSULTING
  • CONDITIONS OF PURCHASE
  • ADDITIONAL COPIES
  • MOTIVATION FOR DOING THE STUDY
• SYNOPSIS
• INTRODUCTION
  • DEFINING THE TECHNOLOGY
  • ALTERNATIVES
    • ULTRACAPACITORS
    • BIOHYDROGEN
    • METAL HYDRIDE FUEL CELLS
  • MARKET ENVIRONMENT
    • HYDROGEN/METHANOL INFRASTRUCTURE
    • STATE ACTIVITIES IN HYDROGEN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
    • METHANOL ECONOMY
      • Other Choices in Hydrogen Storage
  • REGULATORY AGENCY AND GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT WITH DMFC
    • UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
    • PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES
    • UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
    • OTHER INSTITUTIONS
  • INNOVATION AND MARKET DRIVERS
    • BARRIERS TO DMFC ACCEPTANCE
    • ENVIROMENTAL CONCERNS
    • FUEL SUPPLY AND COSTS
• TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
  • ELECTROCHEMICAL DIRECTION
    • METHANOL OXIDATION
      • Microfuel Cells
  • CATALYSTS
  • SEPARATORS
    • DMFC SCHEMATIC
  • POWER DENSITY
  • MODE OF OPERATION
    • ACTIVE OR PASSIVE
    • REFORMED METHANOL/HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS
  • DMFC LEGACY TECHNOLOGY
  • TALKING POINTS
    • NANOTECHNOLOGY
      • Other Carbon Nanomaterials
    • CHOOSING NEW MEMBRANES
  • TYPES OF MEMBRANES/ELECTROLYTES FOR DMFC
    • FUNCTIONALIZED HYDROCARBON
    • FLUOROCARBONS
    • COMPOSITES
      • OTHER
  • VALUE OF DMFC MEMBRANES BY TYPE
  • VALUE OF PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANES FOR FUEL CELLS
  • TECHNOLOGY APPROACHES OF IMPORTANT DMFC COMPANIES
    • ANGSTROM POWER' S APPROACH
    • ANTIG' S APPROACH
    • CASIO COMPUTER' S APPROACH
    • CMR FUEL CELLS APPROACH
    • DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL CORP./DMFCC APPROACH
    • DUPONT FUEL CELLS APPROACH
    • GINER ELECTROCHEMICAL SYSTEMS APPROACH
    • GREENFUELCELLS (GFC) LTD. APPROACH
    • HOKU APPROACH
    • LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY APPROACH
    • MANHATTAN SCIENTIFICS/MSI APROACH
    • MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. APPROACH
    • MTI MICRO/MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGY INC. APPROACH
    • MICROCELL CORP. APPROACH
    • MEDIS APPROACH
    • MOTOROLA APPOACH
    • NEAH POWER SYSTEMS APPROACH
    • POLYFUEL APPROACH
    • SMART FUEL CELL/SFC APPROACH
    • SONY APPROACH
    • TEKION APPROACH
    • TOSHIBA APPROACH
    • ULTRACELL APPROACH
• APPLICATIONS FOR DMFC
  • PORTABLE ELECTRONICS
    • LAPTOP COMPUTERS
    • MOBILE AND ENHANCED TELEPHONES
    • OTHER MOBILE DEVICES AND HANDHELDS
    • MILITARY APPLICATIONS
  • VALUE OF DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELLS BY APPLICATION
• DMFC INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
• A BROAD VIEW
  • INDUSTRY ALIGNMENTS
  • MARKET SHARE OF DMFC BUSINESSES IN NORTH AMERICA
  • COMPANY PROFILES
• END OF REPORT

LIST OF TABLES

• 1. VALUE OF DMFCS IN U.S. BY APPLICATION
• 2. RECENT MILLENIUM CELL BOROHYDRIDE PATENTTS
• 3. SUMMARY OF OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES INVOLVED IN DMFC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
• 4. U.S. UNIVERSITIES INVOLVED IN DMFC RESEARCH
• 5. VALUE DMFC BY MODE OF OPERATION
• 6. VALUE DMFC BY POLYMER TYPE
• 7. VALUE OF PEMS FOR FUEL CELLS BY MEMBRANE TYPE
• 8. TOSHIBA DMFC SPECIFICATIONS
• 9. UNIT SALES FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS IN THE U.S.
• 10. LAPTOP COMPUTER UNIT SALES IN U.S., THROUGH 2011
• 11. VALUE AND PROJECTIONS FOR DMFC SALES FOR LAPTOP COMPUTERS IN THE U.S.
• 12. VALUE OF DMFCS IN CELLULAR TELEPHONES AND ENHANCED UNITS, THROUGH 2011
• 13. VALUE OF DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELLS BY APPLICATION
• 14. ESTIMATED DMFC MARKET SHARE IN NORTH AMERICA, 2006

LIST OF FIGURES

• 1. DMFC SCHEMATIC
• 2. VIASPACE RELATIONSHIPS
• 3. DMFCC COPORATE RELATIONSHIPS

「ダイレクトメタノール燃料電池（DMFC）」は2006年08月31日にSTIX Market Researchより発行されました。 当レポートは88 Pagesで構成され、税抜￥88,833より販売しています。