Super Fuel Cell Material

Scientist have found a way to use fuel cells to change it into a source of electricity for technology. It can power electronic devices, vehicles, and even military aircraft equipment! The fuel cells convert the energy from hydrogen fuel into electricity by reacting with oxygen. It can produce electricity continuously as long as it has a fuel supply. They would use platinum as the catalyst to speed up the chemical reaction but because it costs so much instead they use other fuel cells. A team of researchers have discovered that if you replace the center of the catalyst with gold and copper and having the outer layer in platinum, it is 5 times higher activity and better stability than the platinum catalyst. So the company is coming up with new alternative that uses less platinum.  ‘They have designed the core of nanocrysytalline material to be a gold- copper mixture and slightly smaller lattice spacing than the platinum coating on the nanocrystals surface’, said professor Ying. This then makes it compressive on the surface of the platinum atoms. This then makes the atoms more active, then reducing the oxygen for the fuel cell. But replacing the core with the nanoparticle the cuts down on the platinum, which is very expensive. So because of this we can make advance fuel cell development, and make it better for technology.  

I think it is really cool how they can use fuel cells to change into a source for technology. And making it just by reacting Hydrogen with oxygen. So this is my current event hope you enjoyed it!

Bibliography

"Superior Fuel Cell Material Developed." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 02 Sept. 2012. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120824103022.htm>.