According to a report published by the Physicist Organization Network on February 18 (Beijing time), scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, have made a groundbreaking discovery. For the first time, they successfully used iron-based catalysts to rapidly and efficiently split hydrogen gas, significantly lowering the cost of fuel cell technology. The findings were recently featured in the latest online edition of *Nature Chemistry*.
R. Morris Bullock, a lead chemist at the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, highlighted that platinum is currently the standard catalyst in fuel cells. However, its high cost—over 1000 times more expensive than iron—has been a major barrier to wider adoption. His team has developed alternative catalysts using more affordable metals like nickel and iron, which can split hydrogen molecules at a rate of up to two per second, matching the performance of commercial catalysts.
Fuel cells generate electricity by splitting hydrogen molecules, with platinum acting as the key catalyst. When a hydrogen molecule breaks apart, it's similar to cracking an egg: the electrons, like the egg white, are released to create an electric current. Platinum’s unique chemical properties make it ideal for this process, but replacing it with cheaper alternatives like iron or nickel has proven challenging. Fortunately, nature provides a solution—hydrogenase, a naturally occurring molecule, can effectively split hydrogen using iron.
Inspired by this biological mechanism, Brock and his team designed and tested various molecular structures. They optimized the shape and electronic configuration of these molecules to enhance their performance. Their goal was to mimic the efficiency of natural hydrogenase while using synthetic materials.
One of the key challenges in the process is the uneven dissociation of hydrogen molecules. A hydrogen molecule consists of two protons and two electrons. The catalyst must pull one proton away and send it to a proton acceptor, which gets oxidized in the fuel cell. Once the bond between the proton and electron weakens, the electron can be easily transferred to the electrode. This process repeats for the second hydrogen atom, allowing electrons to flow through the circuit.
Through careful experimentation, the team measured the rate at which their catalyst splits hydrogen. The best results showed a rate of about two molecules per second. They also evaluated the overvoltage, a key indicator of catalyst efficiency. The results showed that their iron-based catalyst achieved overvoltages between 160-220 mV, which is comparable to commercial standards.
The research team is now working to fine-tune the reaction steps, aiming to improve both speed and efficiency under optimal conditions. This development marks a significant step forward in making fuel cell technology more accessible and economically viable. (Reporter: Hualing Epic)
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