AUTONEWS

There come the good and cheap hydrogen fuel cells

The future passes through battery-powered electric vehicles, but this is expensive and heavy and has to be recharged by plugging it into the mains, which can be a problem when the number of this type of vehicles in circulation exceeds thousands, or even millions, per city. Aware of the difficulties posed by batteries, the industry has always sought alternatives and hydrogen fuel cells, also known as cells or fuel cells, are the best solution. However, they are expensive, at least those that are already available in the market.The purpose of hydrogen fuel cells is to produce electricity on board, for which only a tank with hydrogen (under pressure but at room temperature) needs to be filled, an operation that is as fast as petrol. Then it is expected that hydrogen will associate with the oxygen withdrawn from the air we breathe and, in the process, produce electricity and hot, pure water.But not everything is pink in this technology, because the fuel cells are expensive to manufacture, because in order to work they need a catalyst, which in turn needs platinum, material that is far from cheap. The precious metal is traditionally mixed in small particles with carbon dust, which leads to a great waste of platinum, because not all the particles stay on the surface and soon function.It is here that the discovery of the scientists of Stanford University enters in collaboration with Volkswagen(HYmotion engine). Together they have developed a new system, called the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), where platinum atoms are placed specifically on the carbon surface, reducing the need for platinum to a small fraction and, on the other hand, tripling the energy efficiency of the cell and increasing their longevity.This technology opens up great possibilities for cost reduction because of the smaller amount of platinum used, but because it also allows us to design fuel cells more effective and lasting, and this new technical solution can also be used to improve the next generation of batteries. lithium, "notes Professor Prinz of Stanford.
On the other hand, Volkswagen Group Research Manager Thomas Schladt stresses that "The researchers' second challenge is to replicate the gains they have already shown in the laboratory on an industrial scale, which is sometimes a harder goal to achieve than it may seem at first glance. However, given the technological potential of the university in question and of Volkswagen, as well as the huge means that the Germans will certainly make available to this project, it is quite possible that there will be news soon so that fuel cells become an even better alternative to batteries, as a way to boost electric vehicles.this innovation has several applications for the automotive industry".


With colaboration of Mundoquatrorodas