COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 30 -- QuantumSphere Inc., a manufacturer of proprietary metallic nanopowders for applications in aerospace, defense, energy and other markets, announced that its QSI-nano Ni/Co alloy was independently validated as a less expensive replacement for platinum as the main catalytic material in a variety of battery and fuel cell applications.
According to the company, the QSI-nano Ni/Co alloy can provide a reduction in the cost of fuel cell and battery catalysts by approximately 50 percent while achieving up to 90 percent of pure platinum performance, based on current prices. Independent validation of QuantumSphere's findings were provided by DoppStein Enterprises Inc. (DSE).
"For a cost comparison, finely divided platinum (currently $75 per gram in bulk) costs approximately five times as much as QuantumSphere’s nano-Ni/Co alloy catalyst (currently $15 per gram). This translates into a large reduction in total device cost. Implementation of this new technology incorporating QSI-nano Ni/Co alloy in the alternative energy sector has the potential to dramatically accelerate commercialization of these microdevices,” said Robert Dopp, president of DSE.
QuantumSphere also announced it has appointed Mark Fullerton as senior research and development scientist. Fullerton has more than 25 years of industrial experience in product development, analytical research and technical support. His previous work included the formulation and process development of dry-film photoresists, scanning electron microscopy operations, x-ray spectroscopy, and infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.