Structure enables a carbon-based catalyst to perform comparably with metal catalysts in an acidic fuel cell. A: Carbon black agglomerates maintain a clear distance between graphene sheets imbedded with carbon nanotubes, allowing oxygen and electrolyte to flow through and speeding the oxygen-reduction reaction. B: Without the agglomerates, the sheets stack closely, stalling the reaction.
CREDIT
Liming Dai
Cheaper, more durable catalyst for fuel cell used in cars, at data centers
For nearly half a century, scientists have been trying to replace precious metal catalysts in fuel cells. Now, for the first time, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have shown that an inexpensive metal-free catalyst performs as well as costly metal catalysts at speeding the oxygen reduction reaction in an acidic fuel cell.
The carbon-based catalyst also corrodes less than metal-based materials and has proved more durable.
The findings are major steps toward making low-cost catalysts commercially available, which could, in turn, reduce the cost to generate clean energy from PEM fuel cells–the most common cell being tested and used in cars and stationary power plants. The study will be published online in the journal Science Advances at 2 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time Friday, Feb. 27.
“This definitely should move the field forward,” said Liming Dai, the Kent Hale Smith Professor of macromolecular science and engineering at Case Western Reserve and senior author of the research. “It’s a major breakthrough for commercialization.”
Dai worked with lead investigator Jianglan Shui, who was a CWRU postdoctoral researcher and is now a materials science and engineering professor at Beihang University, Beijing; PhD student Min Wang, who did some of the testing; and postdoctoral researcher Fen Du, who made the materials. The effort builds on the Dai lab’s earlier work developing carbon-based catalysts that significantly outperformed platinum in an alkaline fuel cell.
The group pursued a non-metal catalyst to perform in acid because the standard bearer among fuel cells, the PEM cell, uses an acidic electrolyte. PEM stands for both proton exchange membrane and polymer electrolyte membrane, which are interchangeable names for this type of cell.
The key to the new catalyst is its rationally-designed porous structure, Dai said. The researchers mixed sheets of nitrogen-doped graphene, a single-atom thick, with carbon nanotubes and carbon black particles in a solution, then freeze-dried them into composite sheets and hardened them.
Read more:Â CWRU researchers bring clean energy a step closer
The Latest on: PEM fuel cells
via Google News
The Latest on: PEM fuel cells
- Water Electrolysis Machine Market to Witness Robust Expansion throughout the Forecast Period 2022 – 2030 | TMR Studyon May 24, 2022 at 8:59 am
Transparency Market Research delivers key insights on the global water electrolysis machine market. In terms of revenue, the global water ...
- PEMFC and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Market Size 2022, drivers, challenges, and their impact on growth and demand forecasts in 2026on May 23, 2022 at 9:51 pm
PEMFC and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Market Trend 2022, Analysis, growth, share, Status and Forecast 2026 ● Global “ ...
- Advanced Fuel Cells Market Size with Value Chain Analysis, Import, export data, 2022 by New Technology, Development, Trends and Forecasts to 2026on May 20, 2022 at 10:22 am
May 20, 2022 (The Expresswire) -- ""Advanced Fuel Cells Market"" Insights 2022 By Types (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells(PEMFC), Alkaline (AFC), Phosphoric acid (PAFC), Molten carbonate (MCFC ...
- Bipolar Plates for PEM Fuel Cells Market Investment Analysis | Dana, Cell Impact, Schunk Group, Nisshinbo, FJ Composite, Ballard ,ElringKlingeron May 19, 2022 at 4:25 am
Bipolar Plates for PEM Fuel Cells Market – Insights: The Bipolar Plates for PEM Fuel Cells industry is estimated to grow at a significant CAGR in the upcoming period as the scope and its ...
- Fusion Fuel Green and Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corporation Enter into Green Hydrogen MOUon May 18, 2022 at 11:00 pm
Fusion Fuel Green PLC (NASDAQ: HTOO), ("Fusion Fuel") and Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corporation (“Toshiba ESS”) are pleased to announce that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding ...
- Cost comparison between lithium batteries, fuel cells, reversible solid oxide cells as storage for off-grid rooftop PVon May 18, 2022 at 5:34 am
fuel cells or reversible solid oxide cells for energy storage. The modeling assumed a typical commercial building in Los Angeles. The scientists quantified the impact of the PEM RFC and RSOC on ...
- Fuel Cell Market Report With COVID-19 Impact Analysis, Market Growth, Forecast To 2022-2031on May 17, 2022 at 5:44 am
Comserve / -- Fuel Cell Market Consumption Sales By Type, Product Specifications, Research Methodology, Forecast 2022-2031. The global fuel cell market is forecasted to reach US$22.19 billion in 2024, ...
- Ballard Power and Wisdom Motor Co. partner to accelerate adoption of fuel cell commercial vehicleson May 13, 2022 at 6:00 am
Wisdom’s hydrogen vehicle product lines will exclusively deploy Ballard’s PEM fuel cell technology, with modules supplied by the Weichai-Ballard Joint Venture in China. Ballard says that it intends to ...
- Cummins to Build Fuel Cells for Freightliner Cascadiaon May 12, 2022 at 4:58 am
In the deal with Scania, Cummins reported it is providing an initial 20 proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems to be integrated into Scania’s existing battery-electric vehicle platform.
- Fuel Cell (IMAGE)on May 11, 2022 at 4:40 pm
Carbon paper electrodes are inserted into the anodic (left hand side) and cathodic (right hand side) chambers of the fuel cell. Both chambers are separated by a proton exchange membrane.
via Bing News