Highly ordered Pt3Co nanoparticles were prepared by a two-step reduction strategy. The half wave potential of Pt3Co/C reached 0.87 V, showing excellent ORR performance. Credit: Zhonghua Xiang, Beijing University of Chemical Technology
The precious metal platinum is a key catalyst for the chemical reactions at the heart of the next generation of more compact, high-performing hydrogen fuel cells. But platinum’s high cost is preventing widespread adoption of this technology.
Researchers, however, have devised a nano-scaled alloy of platinum and cobalt to use as catalyst, sharply reducing the amount of platinum needed to achieve the same—or even…