More efficient all-organic catalysts in fuel cells

Organic catalysts are a breakthrough in the quest for inexpensive and efficient materials for environmentally friendly production of energy in fuel cells. A new study by physicists at Umeå University in Sweden, published in ACS Nano, provides better knowledge about key processes in producing these catalysts. The world's needs for energy and raw materials are constantly growing, and the search for readily accessible and inexpensive material for energy applications is driving research teams all around the world. Fuel cells based on hydrogen and oxygen, for example, can convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy in an environmentally friendly way, as the byproduct is simply water. For this conversion to occur efficiently, the electrodes in the fuel cells contain various forms of catalysts. A major problem with these catalysts is that they are currently being made of alloys of platinum, ruthenium, and other noble metals. These noble metals are not only extremely expensive but also rare and difficult to extract.