Fuel Cell Catalysts for Renewable Energy Industry
The past decade has seen strong growth in the global renewable energy sector. The application of more renewable energy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy supplies. In response to the boom of green energy industries, Alfa Chemistry Materials decided to introduce a new product line of fuel cell catalysts, which are indispensable to the manufacturing of fuel cells.
Fuel cell directly converts the chemical energy of fuel into electrical energy, and it is viewed as inherently safe power generator device for energy that is cost-saving and ecological environment protective.
“In order to improve fuel cell performance, catalysts are introduced. At present, platinum and its alloys are the most commonly used catalysts for different types of fuel cells at both the anode and the cathode,” says one of the senior scientists from Alfa Chemistry Materials. “To select the most appropriate catalyst, a number of criteria should be taken into consideration, such as electrical conductivity and surface characteristics. Platinum becomes the first choice in mind because it conducts electricity, catalyzes reactions with aplomb, and is hard enough to survive the harsh and acidic environment of a fuel cell.”
However, since platinum catalysts are prohibitively expensive, researchers resort to other catalyst replacements that can catalyze fuel cell reactions at a lower cost but without compromise in efficiency.
Based on the existing research, fuel cell catalysts can be divided into the following types:
Platinum-based catalyst
Because of its excellent catalytic activity and durability, Pt-based catalyst is still the leading choice of fuel cell catalyst, which has been successfully used in phosphoric acid fuel cell power generation.
Carbon-based catalyst
Carbon-based materials are one of the most extensively studied fuel cell catalysts among all nonprecious metal catalysts due to their low cost, high electrical conductivity, and good stability.
Transition metal chalcogenide compounds
Although studies have shown that Mo4Ru2Se8 possess cathodic catalytic activity under acidic conditions, these metal chalcogenide compounds are easily oxidized, which hampers the likelihood of replacing Pt-based catalysts with them.
At Alfa Chemistry, varieties of fuel cell catalysts are now readily available. To name just a few here: platinum single crystal disc, 10 mm (0.39 in) in diameter, 1-2 mm (0.04-0.08 in) in thickness, (110) orientation, nominal (CAS 7440-06-4), nickel on silica/alumina, ruthenium on carbon, ruthenium on alumina, rhodium on carbon, rhodium on alumina, platinum-ruthenium alloy on graphitized carbon, platinum on graphitized carbon, platinum, sulfided, on carbon, platinum cobalt on carbon, platinum on carbon, platinum on silica, platinum on alumina, platinum on activated charcoal, palladium on carbon, palladium on alumina, palladium on barium sulfate, etc.
For more information about Alfa Chemistry Materials’ offering of fuel cell catalysts, please visit https://materials.alfachemic.com/products/fuel-cell-catalysts-402.html or email us directly.
About Alfa Chemistry Materials
Alfa Chemistry Materials supply a wide array of materials. Via years’ efforts, the company has now grown to be a reliable source for carbon nanotubes, fullerene (carbon spheres), graphene, high purity materials, MOFs and COFs compound, molecular sieves, quantum dots, as well as many other types of chemicals and materials.