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'Goldilocks' thinking to cut cost of fuel cells in electric vehicles
https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2019/Q1/goldilocks-thinking-to-cut-cost-of-fuel-cells-in-electric-vehicles.htmlFebruary 21, 2019
'Goldilocks' thinking to cut cost of fuel cells in electric vehicles
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 2019 Toyota Mirai electric vehicle touts zero emissions, thanks to a fuel cell that runs on hydrogen instead of gasoline. But the Mirai has barely left California, partly because today's fuel cell electrodes are made of super expensive platinum.
Cutting down on the platinum would also cut costs, allowing more electric cars to hit the market.
A new method borrows some thinking from "Goldilocks" – just the right amount – for evaluating how much metal would be required for fuel cell electrodes. The technique uses the forces on a metal's surface to identify the ideal electrode thickness.
…
Experiments in Chao Wang's lab at Johns Hopkins confirmed the simulation predictions, finding that the method can increase catalyst activity by 10 to 50 times, using 90 percent less of the metal than what is currently used in fuel cell electrodes.
…
https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aat8051'Goldilocks' thinking to cut cost of fuel cells in electric vehicles
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 2019 Toyota Mirai electric vehicle touts zero emissions, thanks to a fuel cell that runs on hydrogen instead of gasoline. But the Mirai has barely left California, partly because today's fuel cell electrodes are made of super expensive platinum.
Cutting down on the platinum would also cut costs, allowing more electric cars to hit the market.
A new method borrows some thinking from "Goldilocks" – just the right amount – for evaluating how much metal would be required for fuel cell electrodes. The technique uses the forces on a metal's surface to identify the ideal electrode thickness.
…
Experiments in Chao Wang's lab at Johns Hopkins confirmed the simulation predictions, finding that the method can increase catalyst activity by 10 to 50 times, using 90 percent less of the metal than what is currently used in fuel cell electrodes.
…