Researchers now understand more about why platinum is so
efficient at producing power in hydrogen fuel cells.
“Understanding platinum’s properties for speeding up
chemical reactions will potentially enable scientists to create significantly
cheaper synthetic or metal alloy alternatives for use in sustainable devices
like fuel cells,” says Gregory Jerkiewicz, a professor in the Department of
Chemistry who led the groundbreaking study.
Dr. Jerkiewicz’s research team has found that when
platinum is used in reactions involving hydrogen it develops an embedded layer
of hydrogen just one atom thick. This gives the platinum hydrophobic or
water-repelling qualities, meaning that stray water molecules inside the fuel
cell cannot bond strongly with the surface of the platinum.
The water-repelling nature of the modified platinum means
that incoming hydrogen molecules can easily attach to the surface of the
platinum and separate into smaller particles without requiring additional
energy to displace any water molecules that are in the way.
The reduction in the energy
required for hydrogen molecules to attach to the surface of the platinum means
that the process is fast and efficient and the fuel cell can deliver a lot of
power.
