AI Insight
Researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a hydrogen fuel cell catalyst that uses 75% less platinum while maintaining equivalent performance to pure platinum catalysts. The breakthrough was achieved by applying controlled mechanical compression to modify the catalyst's atomic-scale structure. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Electrochimica Acta.
Why it matters
Platinum's high cost is a major obstacle to widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cells for clean energy applications. This catalyst could significantly reduce manufacturing costs for fuel cells, potentially accelerating their use in vehicles and power generation systems.
Understand the Science
The high cost of platinum is one of the main barriers to the wider adoption of hydrogen fuel cells. Now, researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a catalyst that delivers the same performance while using 75% less of this expensive metal. The study, published in Electrochimica Acta, demonstrates a breakthrough made possible by applying controlled mechanical compression to the catalyst. This modifies its atomic-scale structure, enabling it to achieve energy efficiency comparable to that of pure platinum.
Source: New catalyst with 75% less platinum promises to reduce the cost of hydrogen fuel cells