May 16, 2008 - Days after rival Toshiba touted plans to bring direct methanol fuel cells to market in products next year, Sharp says it has made a major breakthrough in the budding green technology.

DMFCs, designed for use in mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs, are widely viewed as a greener alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries. They create electricity via a reaction between methanol, water, and air, leaving only small amounts of water vapor and carbon dioxide as byproducts.

But while DMFC prototypes have been around for years, they typically generate less power than lithium-ion batteries. Sharp says it has created a DMFC seven times more powerful than previous models.

"Through continuing to pursue the development of this elemental technology, cell volume can be further miniaturized," Sharp said in a statement, paying the way for "cells with the same volume but a longer lifespan than the currently mainstream lithium-ion batteries."

Toshiba may still have the last word on DMFCs, however. Sharp has yet to announce plans to mass produce the new fuel cells for use in consumer products.