New catalyst with 75% less platinum promises to reduce the cost of hydrogen fuel cells
Researchers at the IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a new catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells that uses 75% less platinum. By applying mechanical compression to the material, they achieved performance levels comparable to pure platinum, potentially lowering manufacturing costs.
Why it matters
Reducing the reliance on expensive platinum is a critical step toward making hydrogen fuel cells a commercially viable and affordable clean energy solution.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Elastic strains enhance the catalytic activity of intermetallic thin films for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Credit: IMDEA Materials Institute 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.
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