Brain cell power: laptops could be driven efficiently by an ultra-compact alternative to rechargeable batteries developed by UK company CMR Fuel Cells. Among those working on the project is Michael Priestnall (right), CMR’s chief technology officer, pictured with Michael Evans, the Cambridge company’s engineering director

　　NEW-GENERATION fuel cells look set to replace rechargeable batteries in laptop computers, following work carried out by an innovative company in the field.

　　The laptops could soon be powered by an ultra-compact, highly efficient patented alternative to the batteries that has been developed by Cambridge-based company CMR Fuel Cells of the United Kingdom.

　　Now, users will not need to switch off their laptop and find somewhere to plug it into a power supply to recharge the battery; they will be able to carry on working. The power is provided by a small cartridge of methanol fuel. When it runs out, the user can simply slot another one into the onboard fuel cell unit - just like putting a refill in a pen.

　　CMR engineers are working on prototypes that promise to be much smaller, lighter, cheaper and more efficient than conventional fuel cells or today’s lithium-ion batteries. The company has collaborative agreements to adapt the technology for major PC and laptop manufacturers in Korea and Japan.

　　CMR is also part of a working group formed by Intel that is specifying this next generation of portable power sources and it expects the technology to become available in mass-market products from 2010.

　　In coming up with a design that had not been thought of before, CMR’s founders trawled through thousands of patents and academic papers, some dating from 50 years ago. Working with Cambridge-based Nash Matthews and other firms of patent attorneys in the United States and the UK, CMR is now establishing a portfolio of its own patents that will give it exclusive rights to its novel technology in the company’s priority markets, globally.

　　Michael Priestnall, now CMR’s chief technology officer, came up with the idea for a better, small fuel cell as a result of explaining to his colleague, Mike Evans, at Cambridge consultancy Sagentia (then called Scientific Generics) why fuel cells had to be so bulky.

　　“It wasn’t so much a eureka moment as a eureka week or two,” said Priestnall. “Over a coffee, I’d been answering Mike’s question about the differences between car engines and fuel cells, and why the fuel cell principle depended on keeping the fuel intake totally separate from the oxidant intake.

　　“It occurred to me that if you could find an alternative to the normal catalyst - platinum, which is used on both sides of a fuel cell - you could select a specific catalyst for each of the anode and cathode of the fuel cell, and that would mean you would no longer need to keep the fuel and air separate.”

　　Michael Priestnall then set about investigating the feasibility of his idea. His first task was to check that it really was new. His search of 20,000 patents and other records narrowed the field down to some 35 patents and papers that merited further investigation. From this, it appeared that there was a real opportunity to come up with something novel and also - critically important - achieve patent protection for it.

　　“We needed to be very confident about our IP [intellectual property] position,” he added. “Our patents are very fundamental in the fuel cells market. We now have patents granted in China and Australia and expect to have them soon in the USA and, eventually, Europe. Our patent attorneys are experts and we work closely with them to achieve the protection we need, without it costing the earth.”

　　Although laptop computers will be the first mass-market application for CMR’s compact fuel cells, many other potential customers are also interested in low-cost fuel cells that can operate on high-energy fuels.

　　According to Martin Lipscombe, patent attorney at Nash Matthews, CMR’s strong IP position will allow it to exploit other markets and use fuels other than methanol.

　　He said: “The core concepts that CMR have patented can apply to any fuel cell. If CMR don’t want to enter other markets at this stage, they have the potential to generate good revenue streams from licensing their technology to other manufacturers who may be targeting applications such as mobile phones, standby power units or even automotive - electric scooters, for example.”

　　Fuel cells have been around since UK scientist William Grove published the first paper describing a hydrogen-oxygen platinum fuel cell in 1839, although it took until the 1960s for them to become a practicable proposition.

　　Similar to batteries, they deliver a constant electrical current, but differ from batteries in that they produce electricity from external supplies of fuel (on the anode side) and oxidant (on the cathode side). These react electrochemically in the presence of a catalyst.

　　The reactants flow in and reaction products flow out, while the chemical energy is converted directly and very efficiently to electricity. Fuel cells can operate virtually continuously as long as the necessary flows are maintained. Their big advantages are high efficiency, silent operation and low emissions.

　　Until now, the main challenges for fuel cells have been their high cost and low performance. They use expensive, precious metal catalysts and have much lower power densities than conventional engines.

　　Patent attorneys (formerly known as patent agents) have qualified by experience and examination for entry of their name on the Register of Patent Attorneys. They are specially trained and experienced in the art of drafting patents and in knowledge of intellectual property law.

　　The attorneys are entitled to deal with related areas of law such as designs, copyright and trademarks as well as patents. Most members are also chartered patent attorneys, European patent attorneys, and registered trademark agents.

　　The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) is the professional body representing them in the UK and was founded in 1882. Most patent applications in the UK and Europe are submitted by such attorneys on behalf of clients.

　　Entry on the Register of Patent Attorneys provides its members with the right to conduct litigation and to act as advocates in the patents county court. Fellows of the CIPA can also acquire an additional qualification (litigator’s certificate) entitling them also to conduct litigation in the Chancery Division of the High Court (including the patents court) and to conduct appeals in respect of IP litigation. (Source: British Consulate-General in Chongqing)