Decades in the Making – New Catalyst Could Make Hydrogen Fuel Cells Affordable



The exorbitant price of platinum has prevented the commercialization of eco-friendly gasoline for years, but a study suggests that a low-cost catalyst could be a workable replacement.

Researchers have been searching for a catalyst that may drastically reduce the cost of manufacturing hydrogen fuel cells for many years.

Such a discovery might usher in a green energy revolution, with computers and trains using fuel that simply yields water as a byproduct. Recent University at Buffalo studies suggest that the researchers may be coming closer to attaining this goal (UB).

Efficiency, durability, and affordability have been designated as the three key objectives for fuel cell research by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Scientists describe how iron may be mixed with nitrogen and carbon to create a catalyst that satisfies all three requirements in a research that was just published in Nature Energy.

Gang Wu, Ph.D., professor of chemical and biological engineering at the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is the study's primary author and claims that "this has been years in the making." "We think this is a major development that will eventually help unlock the enormous potential of hydrogen fuel cells," the statement reads.

Fuel cells function similarly to batteries but don't lose power or require recharging, according to DOE. They provide electricity and heat as long as fuel, such hydrogen, is available.

They have long piqued the interest of scientists, environmentalists, and others due to the fact that they emit less or no pollutants as compared to combustion engines. They may also be used to power a wide range of systems, including those in buildings, power plants, cars, and other vehicles.

The high expense of the costly catalysts required to speed crucial fuel cell operations, among other factors, contributes to the limited commercialisation of fuel cells.

The platinum-group metals, a collection of six precious metals, have shown to be the most efficient catalysts. These metals are durable and effective, but because they are so rare, they are also quite expensive. As a result, researchers are seeking for more affordable alternatives.

Iron-based catalysts have been one such possibility. Iron is desirable since it is accessible and affordable. But since it lacks the toughness to endure the very corrosive and oxidative circumstances found inside fuel cells, it does not work as well as platinum.

The study team attached four nitrogen atoms to the iron in order to get around this obstacle. Later, researchers "with exquisite atomic control of local geometric and chemical structures" placed the substance in a few layers of graphene.

The resultant structure makes for a far better catalyst. For instance, the study group reported the catalyst as follows:

exceeds the DOE's 2025 objective for electric current density and is thought to be the most effective iron-based catalyst created to date.

a durability rating was attained that is comparable to platinum group catalysts.

All of this, according to Wu, indicates the iron-based catalyst's potential to significantly lower the cost of fuel cells, particularly hydrogen fuel cells, for commercial application. To further enhance the catalyst, more research is being planned.

The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. National Science Foundation provided funding for the study. Joint patent applications have been submitted by Wu and two co-authors via the University at Buffalo and Giner Inc.

By UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO 

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