NEWS OF THE WEEK
DIRECT METHANE developed a low-temperature direct methane fuel cell
FUEL CELL REVIVED
A platinum catalyst ENERGY: Catalyst-embedded electrode
attached to an
anode oxidizes
offers promise of converting
methane at low methane directly to electricity
temperature. The
reaction drives
a current and NEW DEVICE uses a platinum catalyst to break
releases protons
that then interact
with oxygen at the
cathode to produce
A down methane to produce electricity at low
temperatures, generating more power than any
previous direct methane fuel cell.
water. Currently, methane, a primary constituent of natu-
ral gas, is burned to produce heat and
8e– 8e– other forms of energy for homes
CH4 + 2H2O 2O2
and businesses. Direct methane fuel
cells—in which methane is used di-
rectly, without first being converted
into hydrogen—could produce energy
more efficiently than combustion-
Electrolyte based methods.
8H+ But such fuel cells must break
Anode Cathode methane’s strong C–H bonds, and
that generally requires high operat-
CO2 4H2O ing temperatures between 650 and
1,100 °C, which add significantly to a
CH4 + 2O2 CO2 + 2H2O device’s operating costs. Researchers
CHINA FIRM ENTERS
SEQUENCING FRAY
DNA TESTING: Direct Genomics
revamps single-molecule technology
for clinical diagnostics market
IRECT GENOMICS, a three-year-old Chinese
Direct Genomics’
GenoCare Analyzer
uses a single-
D firm, is taking on Illumina and other instrumen-
tation market leaders with a next-generation se-
quencing (NGS) system designed for clinical diagnos-
molecule DNA tics. Three Chinese hospitals are part of an early-access
sequencing method. program using the company’s GenoCare Analyzer.
Although NGS is rapidly growing in the
clinical testing area and equipment com-
panies are improving the technology, the
instruments remain “too complex for use by
everyday physicians,” Goldman Sachs stock
analyst Isaac Ro pointed out in a report early
last month. “The notion of a sequencer in ev-
DIRECT GENOMICS
ery hospital is not yet feasible and will require
another leap in functionality.”
Direct Genomics’ system employs single-
molecule targeted sequencing (SMTS) chemis-
try and total internal reflectance fluorescence
CEN.ACS.ORG 6 NOVEMBER 2, 2015
in 1962, and Andrew M. Herring of Colorado School of
Mines and coworkers revived the concept in 2012. But
both designs generated negligible amounts of power.
Now Herring and Brian G. Trewyn at Colorado
School of Mines, T. Brent Gunnoe of the University of
Virginia, and coworkers have used an organometallic
complex to activate methane C–H bonds in a low-
temperature direct methane fuel cell (J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2015, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b06392).
The team covalently attached a low-temperature
methane-activating platinum catalyst to conductive
carbon and used the material as a fuel-cell anode. The
material catalyzes an oxidation process that releases
carbon dioxide, electrons, and protons. The protons
then react with oxygen at the cathode to produce water.
The process converts methane directly to electricity
at 80 °C and generates five times the power of any previ-
ous low-temperature direct methane fuel cell. But it has
limitations: The catalyst deactivates over time, diffusion
of methane into the anode is limited, and maximum
power density is still too low for real-world use.
The approach demonstrates feasibility, “and there
is ample room for improvement,” comments catalysis
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. specialist Matteo Cargnello of Stanford University. “It
is an elegant and novel concept that might open new
perspectives in the efficient and clean use of natural
gas,” adds materials scientist Paolo Fornasiero of the
University of Trieste, Italy.—STU BORMAN
microscopy to read DNA or RNA directly, according to
Jiankui He, the firm’s founder and CEO. Unlike compet-
ing clinical systems, the GenoCare Analyzer does not
require presequencing amplification.
The technology is a reboot of a sequencing-by-synthe-
sis method developed a decade ago by Stephen Quake,
then at Caltech and now at Stanford University. Quake’s
firm, Helicos Biosciences, began building commercial-
grade whole-genome sequencers around 2008 but was
bankrupt by 2012. Helicos’s hardware assets reportedly
were acquired by sequencing services provider SeqLL.
He, who is an associate professor at South Univer-
sity of Science & Technology of China, was a postdoc
with Quake after completing his graduate work in the
lab of Rice University’s Michael Deem. Both Quake
and Deem, as well as former Helicos chief technology
officer J. William Efcavitch, are Direct Genomics advis-
ers. Backed by Chinese investors, the firm licensed key
SMTS patents from Caltech this year.
The new system is much smaller and less expensive
than the Helicos one, He says. Direct Genomics also
continues to improve the chemistry and has published
initial data on BioRxiv.org (2015, DOI: 10.1101/029686).
With about 1.4 billion people, China represents huge
opportunity, and Direct Genomics is seeking Chinese
FDA approval. Chinese service provider Berry Genom-
ics has already received CFDA clearance for using a
system developed with Illumina.—ANN THAYER