A LUNG-inspired hydrogen fuel cell can cut the amount of
expensive catalyst needed and increase efficiency, its designers
claim. Despite decades of research, hydrogen fuel cells have
failed to replace combustion engines in cars, thanks in large
part to the cost of their platinum catalysts, says Signe
Kjelstrup at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in
Oslo. So Kjelstrup's team designed a cell that uses less
platinum. It uses channels modelled on the bronchial structure
of the lungs to supply hydrogen and oxygen gas to their
respective electrodes. This helps to spread the gases more
uniformly across the catalyst than current channel designs and
provides a greater surface area so less platinum is needed,
Kjelstrup claims (Energy & Fuels, DOI: 10.1021/ef100610w). To
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