Vertically lined up coaxial nanowires in an electrode with protons transferred in the ionomer core inside the nanowire. Electrons transferred in the platinum nanofilm shell combine with oxygen to complete the fuel cell cathode response. Credit LANL
The Los Alamos National Laboratory presented a corrosion-resistant fuel cell design including a coaxial nanowire electrode. This ingenious approach holds promise for heavy-duty trucking, showing remarkable sturdiness in tension tests.
An innovative fuel cell style offers prospective developments for durable trucking and different other clean fuel cell applications. An appealing, more resilient fuel cell design could help transform sturdy trucking and other clean fuel cell applications. Consisting of nanowires that are less prone to deterioration than other designs, the innovative electrode– the heart of a polymer electrolyte-membrane fuel cell– could introduce a brand-new period for fuel cells, which use hydrogen as emission-free power for cars.
” In real-world terms, this means that we can have a more resilient fuel cell that will offer high fuel economy over a longer lifetime,” said Jacob Spendelow, a researcher with the Los Alamos National Laboratory group that explained its lead to the journal Advanced Materials. “This work demonstrates that we can get rid of traditional carbon-based catalyst supports, removing the degradation problems connected with carbon corrosion, while still attaining high fuel cell efficiency.”
Application in Heavy-Duty Trucking
The enhanced resilience makes this fuel cell an appealing candidate for use in sturdy trucking applications, where fuel cell durability exceeding 25,000 hours is vital.
The coaxial nanowire electrode (CANE) consists of an array of vertically aligned nanowires in which each nanowire comprises a catalytically active platinum film surrounding an ion-conducting polymer core. By avoiding carbon-based driver supports, the CANE removes common destruction mechanisms connected with carbon corrosion.
Efficiency and Durability Tests
To evaluate the brand-new fuel cells durability, the team at Los Alamos National Laboratory performed sped up tension tests. Incredibly, the CANE lost a mere 2% of its efficiency after undergoing 5,000 stress test cycles targeting the support products. On the other hand, a standard carbon-based electrode experienced a shocking 87% decrease in performance.
The coaxial nanowire technique is among several novel fuel cell designs created at Los Alamos National Laboratory; a grooved electrode design was recently explained in Nature Energy.
Reference: “Coaxial Nanowire Electrodes Enable Exceptional Fuel Cell Durability” by Gaoqiang Yang, Siddharth Komini Babu, Wipula P. R. Liyanage, Ulises Martinez, Dmitri Routkevitch, Rangachary Mukundan, Rodney L. Borup, David A. Cullen and Jacob S. Spendelow, 19 June 2023, Advanced Materials.DOI: 10.1002/ adma.202301264.
Funding: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (DOE-HFTO) through the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck consortium, in addition to the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility ran for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Electron microscopy was carried out at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
An innovative fuel cell style offers potential advancements for sturdy trucking and numerous other tidy fuel cell applications. An appealing, more long lasting fuel cell design might help change heavy-duty trucking and other clean fuel cell applications. Consisting of nanowires that are less susceptible to rust than other styles, the ingenious electrode– the heart of a polymer electrolyte-membrane fuel cell– could usher in a brand-new period for fuel cells, which use hydrogen as emission-free power for cars.
Funding: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (DOE-HFTO) through the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck consortium, as well as the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Los Alamos National Laboratory.