Australian scientists boost hydrogen fuel cell power by 75% — with a tiny structural tweak

Researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney have achieved a significant breakthrough in hydrogen fuel cell technology. By redesigning the internal structure of the cell, they extracted 75% more power from the same amount of hydrogen. The research has been published in Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy, one of the most authoritative peer-reviewed journals in sustainable energy science.

The problem: water clogs the cell

In theory, hydrogen fuel cells are ideal: they convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, with only water as a byproduct. But that water has been a persistent obstacle. Some of the water produced inside the cell gets trapped, blocking the flow of oxygen and choking performance. The conventional solution — complex water removal systems — adds weight, cost, and technical fragility.

The solution: microscopic escape routes

The team led by Dr Quentin Meyer and Professor Chuan Zhao from the UNSW School of Chemistry took a fundamentally different approach. Rather than removing water after the fact, they redesigned the cell so that water and gas can escape naturally. Using high-precision micro-scale engineering, they introduced microscopic channels — 100 micrometres wide, separated by 100-micrometre micro-ribs — into the internal architecture of the cell. These 'lateral bypasses' prevent water from accumulating, without making the cell heavier or more expensive.

"There's usually no way to remove water," says Dr Meyer. "But these escape routes mean water no longer accumulates and stops the cell working."

The result is striking: the redesigned cell delivers 75% more power than traditional fuel cell designs. Meyer and Zhao have patented the technology and are now working to scale it up.

Less platinum, lighter, cheaper

The new cell is also less dependent on costly metals such as platinum — making the design not only more efficient but commercially more attractive. "This breakthrough could be used in a range of different settings," says Professor Chuan Zhao, "and brings cheap, clean, and abundant hydrogen energy to within our reach."

Freight and aviation as first applications

The team's immediate focus is on low-altitude aviation, where hydrogen systems already deliver significantly longer flight times than battery alternatives. But heavy road transport is also firmly in scope. For freight — a sector where batteries face hard limits on range and charging time — this technology could accelerate the commercial breakthrough of hydrogen. "I believe aeroplanes will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells in the very near future," says Dr Meyer.

A note on the figures

Hydrogen Insight, a leading trade publication for the hydrogen industry, headlined its report with '50% more power'. The primary source — the UNSW press release and the underlying scientific publication — consistently states 75%. H2 Rijders bases its reporting on the original scientific source.

Sources:

- UNSW Newsroom (08-04-2026): https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/04/new-hydrogen-fuel-cell-design-could-unlock-key-clean-energy-technology

- Scientific publication: Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy, DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126713

- TechXplore (08-04-2026): https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-hydrogen-fuel-cell-key-energy.html