Scientists at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters have
designed a new fuel cell inspired by the bronchial structure of
the lungs. The new design requires less of the expensive
platinum catalyst while also boosting efficiency. The fuel cell
features channels modeled after bronchial tubes that supply
hydrogen and oxygen to their respective electrodes. This system
spreads the gases more uniformly across the electrodes, which
boosts the cell's efficiency and creates greater surface area so
that less platinum is required. Hydrogen fuel cells are still
too cost prohibitive (among other things) for mass production
and a lot of that has to do with the platinum catalyst. This
design is pretty exciting because it would lower the cost of the
fuel cell while also boosting output. That's a win-win. written
by Yael, October 02, 2010 |< Prev||Next >|