Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTI), in collaboration with the University of Nevada Las Vegas Research Foundation (UNLVRF), announced the consortium has received a $2.5 million Phase III grant award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the joint development of solar hydrogen generation cells.
Under the terms of the multi-year grant, Altairnano will receive $750,000 for collaborative research and development efforts through its subcontractor agreement with UNLVRF beginning October 1, 2005, and continuing through December 2006.
Commented Altair Nanotechnologies CEO, Alan J. Gotcher, Ph.D., “The consortium’s two-pronged approach, which supports the National Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, is the joint development of a cell for direct hydrogen production from sunlight and water, along with related vehicle refilling stations. We expect this approach to accelerate the commercialization of alternative energy vehicles and resource utilization throughout the state of Nevada and, in due course, the United States.”
Under the terms of the grant, UNLVRF, a non-profit affiliate of UNLV, will lead a team of industrial and technology partners to spearhead multiple research and development projects to drive production and commercialization of solar technology-based hydrogen projects.
Altairnano’s nanocrystalline metal oxide materials are key components to the overall effectiveness of the hybrid cell being developed under Phase II of the grant, which will be completed in December 2005. Altairnano has established a dedicated laboratory for electrode fabrication and characterization. The lab contains state-of-the-art equipment for electrical performance measurements.
Under Phase III, Task IV of the new grant, Altairnano is charged with enhancing electrode materials to increase the photoelectrodes’ current density, and developing a flexible conducting substrate material for scaling up the electrodes.
The solar cell under development is expected to provide hydrogen at a significantly lower cost than the photovoltaic/electrolyzer route being used today. Key to the technology is the performance of the photo-catalytic nano-crystalline films used to gather photons of incident light and convert them into electron whole pairs for directly splitting water. The multi-junction cell is made up of a transparent front which captures the near UV and blue/violet range of visible light and allows the green/red range of visible light to pass through to the back of the cell, and provides the voltage needed to assist the photocatalytic reaction.
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