To make fuel cells more affordable, researchers have spent decades searching for low-cost catalysts to replace platinum and other expensive metals.
This includes experimenting with different combinations of three abundant and relatively cheap materials: iron, nitrogen and carbon. Results thus far have been uneven. Researchers can make the iron-nitrogen-carbon catalyst durable or efficient, but not both.
A new University at Buffalo-led study may offer a solution. In the journal Nature Catalysis, researchers report how adding hydrogen to the fabricating process creates a strong and effective catalyst that approaches the performance of platinum.
Read more at: University of Buffalo
Gang Wu, front and center, is working toward reducing the costs associated with producing climate friendly fuel cells. (Photo Credit: Douglas Levere, University at Buffalo)