THAT WAS EASY:

Researchers have devised a method for combining high-cost platinum and a low-cost rare earth element, lanthanum, as an alloy to serve as a catalyst in the next generation of fuel cells that will improve their performance and slash their cost. The development should make it easier to decarbonize those heavy transport vehicles that are less amenable to the use of batteries to power them.

Batteries may have won the battle against hydrogen fuel cells for cleanly powering cars, but a number of other forms of transportation find it difficult to swap out internal combustion engines for batteries due to a range of obstacles such as the weight and volume of batteries that would be required for the sort of services they deliver. This is particularly true for heavy transport such as shipping, aviation and long-haul trucking. In these cases, most transport analysts suggest that they are likely to depend on some sort of clean fuel instead.

A fuel cell is able to power vehicles and other machines by turning the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity, with the only other outputs being water and heat. Up until now, the type of fuel cell most commonly used in a number of devices, from satellites to the Space Shuttle, has been the alkaline fuel cell, whose invention dates back almost a century. The next generation is more likely to look something like Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell, which also uses hydrogen to produce electricity, but it is much more compact, making it especially attractive for heavy transport vehicles.

Key to making such electrochemical reactions more efficient-and thus reduce the cost of fuel cells to make them more competitive with using fossil fuels-is finding better catalysts, materials that speed up those reactions.

A breakthrough in electric vehicle battery design has enabled a 10-minute charge time for a typical EV battery. The record-breaking combination of a shorter charge time and more energy acquired for longer travel range was announced today (Oct. 12) in the journal Nature. [...]

"Our fast-charging technology works for most energy-dense batteries and will open a new possibility to downsize electric vehicle batteries from 150 to 50 kWh without causing drivers to feel range anxiety," said Wang, whose lab partnered with State College-based startup EC Power to develop the technology. "The smaller, faster-charging batteries will dramatically cut down battery cost and usage of critical raw materials such as cobalt, graphite and lithium, enabling mass adoption of affordable electric cars."

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