Professor Yanhai Du promotes fuel-cell research
to Kent State University students
  
February 11, 2014 

 

A Kent State College of Technology professor has found new ways to promote sustainability in the environment.

Professor Yanhai Du has been researching fuel cells - electrochemical devices that directly convert chemical energy in a fuel to electricity - for more than 18 years. He said that he is very passionate about fuel cells and believes it is the most efficient electricity-generating technology to date
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 Prof Du
Photo Credit:  Leah Klafczynski 

 
"I see that our energy in this country is 80 percent fossil fuels," Du said. "This causes 70 percent of electricity to burn due to fossil fuels, which can cause a lot of pollution. If we can use fuel cells, we are actually reducing over half of the carbon in the atmosphere."

Du said that while fuel cells are the better solution, the public is skeptical of utilizing them because of the use of chemical hydrogen in the cells.  

 "The platinum fuel cell is the only one that you have to use hydrogen for," Du said. "With other fuel cells, like the one I am working on, you don't have to use hydrogen. You can use natural gas, jet fuel, gasoline, which is something the public is not aware of."  Read more

 

Kent State   

 

About Dr. Yanhai Du

Yanhai Du is an assistant professor of energy and industrial technology in the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology. His research interests include solid oxide fuel cells and systems design, fabrication and characterization, and inorganic materials (ceramic, cement, glass and cermet). Du is the first instructor of a new course titled "Introduction to Sustainability," and a clean energy course called "Fuel Cell Technologies and Applications" to promote fuel cell research and development at Kent State.  Read more