85% hydrogen fuel efficiency: New catalyst solves decades-old issue

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a novel method to stabilize iron catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells, aiming to reduce the high manufacturing costs of fuel-cell vehicles. Currently, platinum catalysts, which account for about 45% of a fuel cell stack’s cost, are prohibitively expensive due to platinum’s rarity and rising demand. By replacing platinum with abundant and low-cost iron, the researchers seek to make fuel-cell vehicles more cost-competitive with battery-electric and internal combustion engine vehicles. Their approach involves creating a chemical vapor environment during thermal activation to stabilize iron catalysts, enabling them to maintain sufficient activity and durability in the acidic conditions of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The research focuses on PEMFCs because of their suitability for heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment, which often operate from centralized refueling stations, simplifying hydrogen infrastructure challenges. Hydrogen fuel cells offer high energy efficiency—over 60% energy extraction from fuel, potentially reaching 85% when