Researchers from the United States Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a way to avoid the use of expensive platinum in hydrogen fuel cells. The team found that non-precious–metal catalysts comprised of carbon, iron and cobalt, could eliminate platinum. Such a catalyst could help solve the significant economic challenge that has thwarted the widespread use of hydrogen fuel cell systems. The new catalyst, in laboratory tests, yielded high power output, good efficiency, and promising longevity. It also generated currents comparable to platinum catalyst fuel cells, while also holding up favorably when cycled on and off. Piotr Zelenay, a Los Alamos researcher, said, “The encouraging point is that we have found a catalyst with a good durability and life cycle relative to platinum-based catalysts. For all intents and purposes, this is a zero-cost catalyst in comparison to platinum, so it directly addresses one of the main barriers to hydrogen fuel cells.” The team’s findings were published in the journal Science.
http://www.lanl.gov/news/releases/cheaper-hydrogen-fuel-cells.html