The reality of creating a viable and cost-effective hydrogen fuel cell is one step closer after a recent discovery by UC Berkeley and Argonne National Laboratory. Scientists from the UC-managed Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and ANL have collaborated to find a version of a platinum-nickel catalyst that is far more active than the common catalysts used to date.

The researchers reported improved activity rates of a platinum-nickel crystal structure 90 times more effective than traditional platinum-carbon catalysts in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Polymer electrolyte fuel cells, or PEMs, are the most promising type of hydrogen fuel cells for the transportation industry because of their size and the amount of power they can produce.

“”PEM is attractive to the auto industry because it operates at low temperatures,”” which is key to sustaining these cells for long periods of time, said Nenad Markovic, a senior scientist at ANL and one of the corresponding authors of the study.

For environmentalists, the fact that the sole byproduct of this alternative energy fuel cell is water makes it a promising method of controlling pollution.

Similar to a battery, PEM fuel cells generate an electrical current between the positive (cathode) and negative (anode) parts of the cell. Aside from the high cost of platinum – which is used as a catalyst to initiate the energy reaction – a primary factor hindering fuel cell development is the slow rate of the reaction on the cathode side of the cell.

Philip Ross, a corresponding scientist and author from the LBNL, said the discovery was made almost by accident. After testing a variety of different alloys that are typically used, the team made the decision to identify the crystalline structural variations of nickel. A single crystal of platinum-nickel alloy was tested in an ultra-high vacuum chamber to check its catalytic activity. The alloy that was tested consisted of 75 percent platinum and 25 percent nickel and yielded results that were roughly two times better than other alloys.

“”What we found is much higher activity for platimun-nickel alloy,”” Ross said, comparing this particular configuration to previous attempts using similar substances.

In fuel cells, the two main issues are catalysis and stability. Platinum as a lone catalyst is unstable and corrodes, so alloys are needed to supply an “”infinite”” source of platinum to the cell. Ross said the right alloy “”could make an enormous impact on the cost of PEM fuel cells”” by decreasing the amount of platinum required.

The results of this experiment are surprising, as it is very rare to get good results for the cathode reaction, Markovic said. The activity in this crystal structure “”really gives us hope that the cathode side is not dead,”” he said.

While most of the details are still being thought out, the next challenge will be to create a real catalyst based on what the researchers know about the crystals. Ross hopes that they will be able to create the same level of enhancement in activity in an actual fuel cell.

Ross and Markovic said that they will also be looking at platinum-cobalt crystal as another possible option. Usually, the platinum-cobalt catalyst shows higher catalytic activity than platinum-nickel alloys.

Despite the relative infancy of this discovery, the corporate attention it has drawn is substantial. The research program at LBNL and ANL is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors. Markovic said that GM’s investment in crystal structure research has been surprising, but “”we have been contacted by GM motors and asked to continue; they have been very interested with the research.””

Arizona-based company 3M has also shown interest in this new development, and is set for a second round of talks next week at ANL. 3M is also supported in part by the DOE, and as part of the collaboration has depleted unique technology in making the cathode catalyst. According to Markovic, this collaboration will be a beneficial way of finding new areas to use their research.

“”This is exactly what we do: try to see the problems in industry, try to implement it there,”” he said.

Provided the same catalytic activity can be reproduce d in an actual fuel cell, the environmental applications would be plentiful.

It is a “”big boost to know that this can help global warming. [It’s] good to give a small contribution,”” Markovic said.

Currently, there are no plans to obtain more funding, but collaboration on the platinum-nickel alloy between the two laboratories as well as other DOE-funded research facilities is expected to continue.