Researchers from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Princeton University and Washington State University, all in the United States, have combined metal oxide nanoparticles and graphene to develop a more durable catalytic material for fuel cells that is both hardier and more chemically active. Jun Liu, a chemist at PNNL, says “[F]uel cells are an important area of energy technology, but cost and durability are big challenges. The unique structure of this material provides much needed stability, good electrical conductivity and other desired properties.” The researchers said they are confident the results will help improve fuel cell design. The team’s design provides a new supporting material for the fuel cell’s chemical catalyst – usually platinum – something that needs to spread the catalyst material evenly over its surface to maximize the surface area with which it can attack gas molecules. It also has to be electrically conductive. Tests showed that the new arrangement – combining platinum, the metal oxide nanoparticles, and graphene – was more stable than the metal oxide alone on graphene or the catalyst alone on graphene. The triple-threat also worked about 40 percent better in terms of breaking down oxygen, and was three times more durable than other substances. The team’s work was published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The article can be viewed online at the link below.