The Company has entered into an agreement with UCLA to research and develop low cost, earth abundant material-based catalysts for hydrogen production via electrolysis
Santa Clarita, CA: BioSolar, Inc. (OTC:BSRC) (“BioSolar” or the “Company”), a developer of energy storage technology and materials, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, NewHydrogen, Inc., has entered into a sponsored research agreement with the University of California Los Angeles (“UCLA”) to develop a technology to reduce the cost of green hydrogen production.
This 12-month research program with UCLA will commence January 1, 2021, under the direction of Dr. Yu Huang, Vice Chair for Graduate Studies, Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The program will focus on the discovery of efficient and stable earth-abundant material-based catalysts for hydrogen production through electrolysis. Dr. Huang, the recipient of numerous awards and global recognition, is leading a team that is creating methodologies to apply the latest developments in nanoscale materials and nanotechnology to impact a wide range of technologies including materials synthesis, catalysis, fuel cells, biomedical and devices applications.
Electrolysis, the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules, is a promising option for “green hydrogen” produced by renewable solar generated electricity. Currently, the two leading technologies in the water electrolyzer market are alkaline and acidic proton exchange membrane-based (PEM), both of which have similar market share. PEM electrolyzers, are the more modern variants and show higher efficiency, lower energy consumption, and produces hydrogen of higher purity than alkaline water electrolyzers. Most importantly, PEM electrolyzers offer high dynamic ranges which are well suited for the intermittent nature of renewable energy such as solar and wind. However, one of the main challenges for widespread adoption of PEM electrolyzers is their reliance on expensive precious metals like platinum and iridium – literally stardust found only in asteroids.
“We are thrilled to work with Dr. Huang and her team at UCLA and share the mutual goal of developing catalysts made with earth abundant materials that could efficiently electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen at a lower cost,” said Dr. David Lee, CEO of BioSolar. “While we embark on this new program in the high growth category of hydrogen production, we remain committed to our existing battery technology development program with the focus of commercializing a silicon anode capable of improving the efficiency and lowering the cost of electric vehicle design and production.”
About BioSolar, Inc.
BioSolar is developing breakthrough technologies to increase the storage capacity, lower the cost and extend the life of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The need for such breakthroughs is critical to meet the expected demand of the rapidly growing global electric vehicle battery market, which is forecast to exceed $90 billion by 2025. A lithium-ion battery contains two major parts, a lithium-filled cathode and a lithium-receiving anode, that function together as the positive and negative sides of the battery. BioSolar is developing innovative technologies that will enable the use of inexpensive silicon as the anode material to create next generation high energy and high-power lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Founded with the vision of developing breakthrough energy technologies, BioSolar’s previous successes include the world’s first bio-based backsheet for use in solar panels.
To learn more about BioSolar, please visit our website at https://www.biosolar.com.
About NewHydrogen, Inc.
NewHydrogen, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BioSolar, Inc., is focused on developing a breakthrough electrolyzer technology to lower the cost of green hydrogen. Hydrogen is the cleanest and most abundant fuel in the universe. It is zero-emission and only produces water vapor when used. However, hydrogen does not exist in its pure form on Earth so it must be extracted. For centuries, scientists have known how to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using a simple and elegant device called an electrolyzer. Unfortunately, electrolyzers are expensive and rely on rare earth materials such as platinum and iridium – literally stardust found only in asteroids. These materials account for nearly 50% of the cost of electrolyzers. NewHydrogen is developing a breakthrough electrolyzer technology to replace rare earth materials with inexpensive earth abundant materials to help usher in a green hydrogen economy that Goldman Sacks estimated to be worth $12 trillion by 2050.
