Professor Dr. Peter Strasser of Technical University Berlin has developed and produced new dealloyed Pt-Co (78-1685) and Pt-Cu (78-1688) core shell catalysts for the ORR (Oxygen Reduction Reaction) in fuel cells. Since there is currently still no valid alternative for platinum electrodes in this reaction, all current fuel cells need a substantial amount of this precious metal.
Core shell nanoparticles can lessen the demand for platinum by having a shell of platinum covering a core of less noble and less expensive base metals.
These particles are prepared by impregnation of a carbon support with metal salts. The mixture is then dried, reduced and finally thermally alloyed yielding Pt-M alloys where M = Co and Cu. The materials are then chemically dealloyed and tested. In some cases, the performance of the dealloyed system is superior to pure Pt catalysts.
For more information on this topic, please read the article written by Professor Dr. Peter Strasser in our Materials for Energy Applications booklet:
Materials for Energy Applications booklet
Products mentioned in this blog:
78-1685: Dealloyed Pt-Co core-shell fuel cell catalyst on carbon
78-1688: Dealloyed Pt-Cu core-shell fuel cell catalyst on carbon