Led by UCLA researchers, the team has developed a new method to quickly identify which alloys that are likely to achieve the best results in fuel cells which could cut the cost of catalysts, in turn making hydrogen fuel cell vehicles more affordable.

As a result of the study’s success, the research group is now collaborating with Toyota Motor Corporation to develop fuel cell catalysts with potential real-world applications, the University has said.

Yu Haung, Professor of Material Science and Engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, and corresponding author of the study, said, “For the sustainability of our planet, we can’t keep living the way we do, and reinventing energy is one major way to change our path.

“We have fuel cell cars, but we need to make them cheaper. In this study, we came up with an approach to allow researchers to identify the right catalysts much faster.”

Presently, platinum is the go to choice for the purpose, however, rarity of the material makes the prospect of large-scale adoption of fuel cell technology expensive. The University believes alloy combining with platinum with readily available metals would reduce the cost.

H2 View understands, the new method, developed using computation and X-ray spectroscopy which allowed the identification of chemical properties, can predict both the potency and stability of platinum alloy catalysts.

Through this method, the UCLA researchers determined by combining platinum, nickel and cobalt in a specific configuration, both are highly active and stable.

Alessandro Fortunelli, Member of Italy’s National Research Council, and co-corresponding author of the study, commented, “This is a decisive step forward toward the rational design, down to the microscopic scale, of catalysts with optimal performance.

“Nobody has ever come up with a method, either theoretical or experimental, to predict the stability of platinum alloy catalysts.”