Russia develops low-cost platinum catalysts

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Russia Develops Low-Cost Platinum Catalyst, reports HighTech Lithium Network, 12-06-2018 09:57:48. According to foreign media reports on December 4, chemists in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, have created a new type of platinum catalyst in which the amount of precious metals used is reduced while efficiency is increased. They will publish a description of this new platinum catalyst in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. According to the report, Vladimir Gutman, a scholar at the South Federal University in Russia, said, \"It is possible to obtain nanoparticles containing other metals, which can result in higher efficiency.\" Moreover, we have gained more experience in understanding how the original composition and structure of bimetallic nanoparticles change during operation. Hydrogen energy is a way to overcome the dependence on oil and reduce humanity’s impact on the climate. The high energy costs of hydrogen production and its tendency to oxidize easily in fuel cells are the biggest obstacles to the development of hydrogen energy. Currently, catalysts composed mainly of palladium, platinum, and other precious metals are generally used to produce hydrogen. Chemists and biologists have for a long time been trying to use compounds of nickel and other cheaper metals, nanoparticles, or proteins from various microorganisms as substitutes for these precious metals, but so far no substitute for platinum has been found; they are either too inefficient or lose their effectiveness rapidly during use. According to reports, Gutman and his colleagues resolved this issue. They tested nanoparticles made of various platinum alloys and other metals, which reduced the cost of platinum catalysts while improving their efficiency. Scientists have long known that combining platinum with other metals can slow down catalyst degradation and improve its efficiency. In the past, chemists tried to coat nanoparticles of nickel, copper, and other metals with platinum, but the initial experiments showed that it was not as easy as expected. It turns out that the shape of these particles is difficult to control, and it is also hard to protect their fragile cores from coming into contact with external corrosive molecules. Russian chemists explained that these particles are unstable because the edges between the metal layers are too sharp. Gutman, who is leading this innovative work, and his team have created a new type of particle in which platinum atoms are distributed evenly from the core of the nanoscale structure to its surface. Preliminary tests show that these nanoparticles degrade 7-8 times more slowly than ordinary nanoparticles. Scientists point out that this catalyst can also be produced using other metals used in fuel cell manufacturing, which will accelerate the development of hydrogen energy and help the global economy move toward sustainable development.