Creating a new catalyst that increases the power output of hydrogen fuel cells

What is it about?

Environmentally friendly Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) create electricity from hydrogen gas and produce water as the only by-product. However, three problems prevent the general use of PEMFCs: the low amount of energy produced; the carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning that reduces its power output; and the high cost of using platinum as its catalyst. This project created a new cost-effective catalyst of iron particles on a graphene (carbon) sheet of atoms. Coating the electrodes and Nafion membrane increased the power output to almost 200% of the control when tested with purified hydrogen gas, and resisted CO poisoning, improving PEMFC performance.

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Why is it important?

The high CO tolerance and performance exhibited by the new catalyst paves the way to decreasing the cost of running a PEM fuel cell. Increasing output power decreases the amount of cells needed to be stacked. The addition of Fe as a major component of the catalyst combination decreases the amount of noble metals needed on the electrode and membrane, decreasing costs. In addition, due to the electrodes’ susceptibility to CO poisoning which clogs the activation points of the catalysts, the H2 gas feed must be made as free from impurities as possible. 100% H2 gas is a costly commodity to produce due to the requirement of a palladium or platinum alloy membrane to filter out impurities during the manufacturing process. The new catalyst permits the manufacture of H2 with impurities to be used for the fuel cell, using a more cost-effective process.

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