Solid fuel

ITI Energy

has announced the third of its R&D investments – to investigate the production of a low-cost, solid nano-material with the potential to store and release hydrogen at room temperature and low pressure.

The resulting material could have a range of energy applications in fuel cell and battery systems. The R&D project and the associated commercial development will be based in Scotland .

Earlier this year, ITI disclosed that it was to invest over £5 million in two research projects to develop the next generation of batteries for use in mobile phones, laptops and electric/hybrid electric vehicles.

The new nano-material project involves a collaboration between ITI Energy, Alterg SA from France and the Universityof Strathclyde , with additional partners to be added in the future.

The R&D project is driven by early work that ITI Energy has undertaken in the energy storage sector. ITI plans to invest up to £1 million to further evaluate and optimise a basic enabling nano-material that it has already developed. The potential follow-on R&D projects involving additional applications could see ITI Energy investing upwards of £3 million in each.

Alterg’s technical and business development team will relocate from France to Scotland , and be based at the Universityof Strathclyde ’s Department of Chemical and Process Engineering in Glasgow . The company will be contributing all its background Intellectual Property and know how from the senior management team, which includes Denis Huguenin, Managing Director of Alterg, a holder of a number of active patents in the field.

Strathclyde will be providing specialised R&D services in the production and testing of the new materials under the direction of Professor Peter Hall, an expert in fuel and energy technologies.