The new award for PolyFuel follows on from two previous DOE program awards – the most recent of which, also for $2.5m, was part of the $41.9m announced recently by energy secretary Steve Chu for several fuel cell projects across the US.

The latest award provides continued funding for PolyFuel’s program to advance portable fuel cell technology to meet the goals for performance, durability, and cost that DOE has established for wide-scale commercial adoption of DMFC technology for use in laptops and other portable electronics devices. This further grant was won against strong competition, and its award was subject to a rigorous peer-review process by leaders in the industry.

In addition to this grant, the company is continuing to actively seek additional capital to complete its technology and product development, build out its manufacturing capability, and achieve commercial introduction of its products.

PolyFuel is a leading developer of hydrocarbon-based, engineered membranes for fuel cells, which provide significantly improved performance in both direct methanol and hydrogen fuel cells, especially for portable electronic and automotive applications. It is working with several portable fuel cell system developers, including major consumer electronics manufacturers, with particular interest in Japan and Korea.