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RESEARCHJuly 28, 2009Process produces puny platinum particlesPush the limits on how small a platinum particle can be and you have a way to lower the cost of fuel cells.A chemical process involving molecular templates forms clusters of 12, 28 or 60 platinum atoms. Today's fuel-cell electrodes use platinum nanoparticles that contain about 300 platinum atoms. The 12-atom clusters are 13 times more catalytically active than today's nanoparticles. In theory, based on this research with platinum, clusters that combine small numbers of platinum and tin atoms could be the most efficient catalysts for fuel cells. Platinum is scarce and expensive, which is a major source of the relatively high cost of fuel cells, and alternatives that replace or reduce the platinum in fuel-cell electrodes could make fuel cells commercially viable for more uses. Research paper: Size-specific catalytic activity of platinum clusters enhances oxygen reduction reactions Nature Chemistry, published online July 20, 2009 Researchers' contact: Kimihisa Yamamoto Related stories and briefs: Iron promises cheaper fuel cells -- related research Nitrogen gives nanotube fuel cells a charge -- related research Back to ERN home |
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