Search Results for: platinum

South Africa, which is rich in platinum deposits is late to the game in tapping into the fuel cell market. In fact, South Africa has lost a decade in trying to cash into this lucrative market and they are just now realizing this and trying to play catch up. But, it may be too late • Read More »

Zinc Air, Incorporated out of Montana has licensed the rights for a zinc air fuel cell developed by a retired chemist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The good news for hydrogen hybrid vehicle makers it that zinc is seen as a replacement for expensive platinum in fuel cells and not so environmentally friendly • Read More »

ACAL Energy is attempting to do what few others have managed which is to eliminate the expensive platinum used on the cathode of its hydrogen fuel cell. Instead the ACAL FlowCath uses a durable liquid chemical cathode in its hydrogen FC. This reduces the platinum content by 80-percent overall in the fuel cell. Besides this • Read More »

I’ve talked before about how we need to reduce the amount of platinum used in fuel cells in order to bring down the price and make them more cost effective. I’ve also talked about researchers working on platinum-free fuel cells, especially if they can retain the power and longevity of fuel cells using platinum. Well, • Read More »

Platinum is expensive and that’s a fact. That is why many fuel cell manufacturers are trying to use nickel or other metal alternatives for fuel cells that run automobiles. The only problem is that these platinum-free fuel cells have only been mildly successful. Longevity and efficiency have suffered. The other alternative is to build fuel • Read More »

Researchers in Canada and Japan are working on two different methods to eliminate expensive platinum from fuel cells bringing down the costs of future hydrogen cars as much as $5,000. Researchers in California, on the other hand, are using nanotechnology to greatly reduce the amount of platinum needed in hydrogen fuel cells. All of the • Read More »

In the past I’ve talked about the need to both reduce and eliminate the need for platinum in fuel cells in order for hydrogen cars and vehicles to become economically viable. It makes no sense to pour a million or so hydrogen cars on the road only to be hit with a worldwide shortage of • Read More »

In 2004, a publication from Harvard University came out titled “Plasma Sputtering Deposition of Platinum into Porous fuel Cell Electrodes” that talked about using nanotechnology to increase the surface area and reduce the platinum used in fuel cells. Now, the Australian National University is reporting that they have created “hairy” fuel cell electrodes that only • Read More »

Researchers at Oxford University in the UK, have identified a mushroom enzyme called “laccase” that could replace platinum and other precious metals in fuel cells. The fungi fuel cell would be more efficient than traditional metal catalyst FC’s in speeding up the chemical reactions. Laccase typically comes from mushrooms on the ground or found on • Read More »