The photo is sourced from nafion.com
Fuel cells generate heat and electricity by oxidising the fuel by way of chemical reaction other than combustion. This technology is useful for back-up power sources and may be used at spacecrafts, warehouse trucks and various transportation vehicles including cars, buses, trains and boats. However, there are two major barriers for broader use of fuel cells: high temperature required for operating fuel cells and difficulties with sourcing the materials for three major elements – positive and negative electrodes and the ceramic electrolyte layer between them providing for the chemical reaction generating energy.
Anodes for fuel cells are made of carbon materials, the reactivity of which impacts the reaction providing for electricity generation. SkolTech scientists attempted to increase the catalytic reactivity of carbon material by introducing strange atoms into carbon electrode. “In this case we introduced atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in various proportions into highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and another carbon material exposing them to plasma of different compositions”, Skoltech is citing Stanislav Evlashin, the senior lecturer of the Materials Technology Center.
The researchers exposed the material to plasma in the chamber filled with either pure nitrogen or pure oxygen, or with ambient air. When electrical voltage was applied, the so-called “medium rupture” took place in the chamber: gas molecules disintegrated into ions conducting electric current and electrons, i.e., turned into plasma. The experiment showed that air plasma provides for the best effect on the electrode material (better than the effect of pure gases, which are also more expensive).
The new method of treatment of electrode material is easier and more cost-effective versus doping carbon with ruthenium oxide or with platinum. In particular, oxygen and nitrogen impurities may be introduced directly in the process of manufacturing the electrode material, while as ruthenium oxide and platinum require a separate phase of production. On top of that, the researchers succeeded in improving the catalytic reactivity of the materials bringing its properties close to those of electrodes based on noble methods. This, in turn, will make it easier to manufacture sources of current.
