Energy News  
ENERGY TECH
Researchers find alternative to pure platinum catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells
by Tauren Dyson
Washington (UPI) Dec 26, 2018

Researchers may have found a more cost-effective way to produce hydrogen fuel cells.

Experts think hydrogen fuel cells can produce clean and renewable energy, but many require expensive platinum-based catalysts to help turn renewable fuels into electrical power.

But now scientists think they've found an affordable alternative to those platinum catalysts.

"Like a battery, hydrogen fuel cells convert stored chemical energy into electricity. The difference is that you're using a replenishable fuel so, in principle, that 'battery' would last forever," Adrian Hunt, a scientist at the National Synchrotron Light Source II, or NSLS-II, a Brookhaven National Laboratory, said in a press release. "Finding a cheap and effective catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells is basically the holy grail for making this technology more feasible."

Now, researchers at the University of Akron have developed an alternative to synthesizing catalysts with only platinum. The new solution is made from both nickel and platinum and form octahedral, or eight-sided, nanoparticles. But the researchers are unclear why the catalyst takes this form.

The researchers used the ultrabright x-rays at In situ and Operando Soft X-ray Spectroscopy beamline at the NSLS-II to show the real-time chemical characterization of the catalyst's growth pathway.

The researchers published their findings in Nature Communications.

"Understanding how the faceted catalyst is formed plays a key role in establishing its structure-property correlation and designing a better catalyst," said Zhenmeng Peng, researcher at University of Akron and study investigator.

"The growth process case for the platinum-nickel system is quite sophisticated, so we collaborated with several experienced groups to address the challenges. The cutting-edge techniques at Brookhaven National Lab were of great help to study this research topic."

More x-ray and electron imaging experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Source at both Argonne National Laboratory and the University of California-Irvine confirm the results at NSLS-II, the researchers report.


Related Links
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


ENERGY TECH
Dutch storage battery maker considering plant in Poland
Warsaw (AFP) Dec 17, 2018
Dutch storage battery start-up Lithium Werks is in advanced talks with Poland for a billion euro plant like the one it is building in China, its founder told AFP on Monday. Kees Koolen said Europe was trailing behind Asia in the renewable energy storage sector, which is set to boom as economies transition from fossil fuels to curb global warming in the coming decades. "Europe needs a lot of these factories and we are inviting each country to talk with us... we are in advanced talks with Poland," ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ENERGY TECH
US charges Chinese national for stealing energy company secrets

Making the world hotter: India's expected AC explosion

EU court backs Dyson on vacuum cleaner energy tests

Mining bitcoin uses more energy than Denmark: study

ENERGY TECH
Lean electrolyte design is a game-changer for magnesium batteries

Flexible thermoelectric generator module: A silver bullet to fix waste energy issues

Dutch storage battery maker considering plant in Poland

Switching to a home battery won't help save the world from climate change

ENERGY TECH
Upwind wind plants can reduce flow to downwind neighbors

More than air: Researchers fine-tune wind farm simulation

Widespread decrease in wind energy resources found over the Northern Hemisphere

Wind power vulnerable to climate change in India

ENERGY TECH
Stabilizing 2D layered perovskites for photovoltaics: setting up a defensive wall

Stanford team locates nearly all US solar panels in a billion images with machine learning

Costa Rica hits renewable energy mark for fourth year in a row

SunShare Selected by Xcel Energy to Build Six New Community Solar Gardens in Colorado

ENERGY TECH
Why does nuclear fission produce pear-shaped nuclei?

Framatome develops mobile technology for non-destructive analysis of radioactive waste containers

The first new Generation 3 EPR nuclear reactor enters commercial operation

China powers up next-generation nuclear plant

ENERGY TECH
A lung-inspired design turns water into fuel

Tel Aviv researchers develop biodegradable plastic from seawater algae

Greener days ahead for carbon fuels

Obtaining polyester from plant oil

ENERGY TECH
New study first to predict which oil and gas wells are leaking methane

Crude oil sell-off resumes, prices break important psychological levels

Oil prices rise after Christmas but gains not seen as longlasting

Venezuela restates rights after confronting two oil exploration ships

ENERGY TECH
NGOs launch legal action against France over climate

Research sheds new light on what drove last, long-term global climate shift

Nations agree milestone rulebook for Paris climate treaty

How complexity science can quickly detect climate record anomalies









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.