
A platinum-like metal only five atomic layers thick is “just right” for optimizing the performance of a fuel cell electrode. (Johns Hopkins University image/Lei Wang)
The 2019 Toyota Mirai electric vehicle touts zero emissions, thanks to a fuel cell that runs on hydrogen instead of gasoline. But the Mirai has barely left California, partly because today’s fuel cell electrodes are made of super expensive platinum.
Cutting down on the platinum would also cut costs, allowing more electric cars to hit the market.
A new method borrows some thinking from “Goldilocks” – just the right amount – for evaluating how much metal would be required for fuel cell electrodes. The technique uses the forces on a metal’s surface to identify the ideal electrode thickness.
“There is exactly the right amount of metal that will give fuel cell electrodes the best properties,” said Jeffrey Greeley, professor of chemical engineering at Purdue. “If they are too thick or too thin, the main reaction for deploying a fuel cell doesn’t work as well, so there’s sort of a Goldilocks principle here.”
The study, to be published in the Feb. 22 issue of the journal Science, was a collaborative effort between Johns Hopkins University, Purdue University and the University of California at Irvine.
The researchers tested their theory on palladium, a metal very similar to platinum.
“We’re essentially using force to tune the properties of thin metal sheets that make up electrocatalysts, which are part of the electrodes of fuel cells,” Greeley said. “The ultimate goal is to test this method on a variety of metals.”
Fuel cells convert hydrogen, combined with some oxygen, into electricity through a so-called oxygen-reduction reaction that an electrocatalyst starts. Finding exactly the right thickness stresses the surface of the electrocatalyst and enhances how well it performs this reaction.
Researchers in the past have tried using outside forces to expand or compress an electrocatalyst’s surface, but doing so risked making the electrocatalyst less stable.
Instead, Greeley’s group predicted through computer simulations that the inherent force on the surface of a palladium electrocatalyst could be manipulated for the best possible properties.
According to the simulations, an electrocatalyst five layers thick, each layer as thin as an atom, would be enough to optimize performance.
“Don’t fight forces, use them,” said Zhenhua Zeng, a Purdue postdoctoral researcher in chemical engineering, and co-first and co-corresponding author on this paper. “This is kind of like how some structures in architecture don’t need external beams or columns because tensional and compressive forces are distributed and balanced.”
Experiments in Chao Wang’s lab at Johns Hopkins confirmed the simulation predictions, finding that the method can increase catalyst activity by 10 to 50 times, using 90 percent less of the metal than what is currently used in fuel cell electrodes.
This is because the surface force on the atomically thin electrodes tunes the strain, or distance between atoms, of the metal sheets, altering their catalytic properties.
“By tuning the material’s thickness, we were able to create more strain. This means you have more freedom to accelerate the reaction you want on the material’s surface,” Wang said.
Learn more: ‘Goldilocks’ thinking to cut cost of fuel cells in electric vehicles
The Latest on: Fuel cells
via Google News
The Latest on: Fuel cells
- Two anti-viral enzymes transform pre-leukemia stem cells into leukemiaon January 26, 2021 at 11:36 am
Viral infections and space travel similarly trigger inflammation and the enzymes APOBEC3C and ADAR1; UC San Diego researchers are developing ways to inhibit them as a means to potentially lower cancer ...
- Fuel cells - hydrogen and the cars of tomorrowon January 26, 2021 at 11:08 am
Hydrogen is often lauded as the solution to future energy needs in the automotive sector, but it’s also controversial. So far, it hasn't caught on in cars. What are the facts behind the H2 myth, and ...
- Global 2021 Automotive Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Market Outlook: Expecting Big Changes with Top Companies like SFC Energy, Oorja Electronics,on January 26, 2021 at 12:05 am
The latest research report provides a complete assessment of the Global Automotive Direct Methanol Fuel Cell market for the forecast year 2022-2031, which is beneficial for companies regardless of ...
- At 17.5% CAGR, Fuel Cell Market Size, Share and Growth Analysis to cross over $ 13.71 Bn by 2026on January 25, 2021 at 8:04 am
Jan (Market Insight Reports) -- Global fuel cell market is estimated to reach USD 13.71 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 17.5% over ...
- Toyota group beefs up development of fuel cell vehicle partson January 23, 2021 at 4:04 pm
Toyota Motor Corp. and its group companies are stepping up efforts to develop auto parts for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and expand their market amid a global shift to eco-friendly cars that do not ...
- Europe Fuel Cell Technology Market Growth, Size, Opportunity, Share and Forecast 2019-2025on January 23, 2021 at 8:30 am
The European fuel cell market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 14 98 during 2019 2025 Automotive and portable applications are the major drivers of fuel cells in the market In addition Europe has ...
- Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: The Future of Mobility?on January 21, 2021 at 4:00 pm
As part of Cowen and Company’s “Energy Transition Series,” analysts spoke with The Hydrogen Council Executive Director Daryl Wilson to explore the adoption of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies—from ...
- DSME Moves Ahead With Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Systemson January 21, 2021 at 1:15 pm
DSME is following in the footsteps of its compatriots at Samsung Heavy Industries in the development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology for auxiliary power. SOFC technology is relatively new ...
- The Worldwide Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Industry is Projected to Reach $2.8 Billion by 2025 - ResearchAndMarkets.comon January 19, 2021 at 10:06 pm
The global solid oxide fuel cell market size is projected to reach USD 2,881 million by 2025 from estimated revenue of USD 772 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 30.1% during the forec ...
- Why Fuel Cell Stocks Are Rocking Again Todayon January 19, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Hydrogen fuel cell stocks are moving higher Tuesday, the first trading day after the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) made a big announcement that promises to help grow the hydrogen economy going ...
via Bing News