The hydrogen economy, whenever it gets here, will not be the result of one team of researchers getting to the “A-ha!” moment. It will be because hundreds, maybe thousands, of teams around the globe all contribute a little bit of knowledge here and there. Over the summer, one of those bits came through an announcement from scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The team discovered a way to use cobalt as a low-cost catalyst for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Using cobalt instead of platinum – bling! – in fuel cells will not only reduce cost, but also means less material will be needed in the catalyst. And, while cobalt is cheap now, a commenter over at Nobel Intent wonders how this will change once it’s in ubiquitous use in fuel cells.
[Source: Nobel Intent]
Hydrogen economy might be powered with help from cobalt
The hydrogen economy, whenever it gets here, will not be the result of one team of researchers getting to the “A-ha!” moment. It will be because hundreds, maybe thousands, of teams around the globe all contribute a little bit of knowledge here and there. Over the summer, one of those bits came through an announcement from scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The team discovered a way to use cobalt as a low-cost catalyst for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Using cobalt instead of platinum – bling! – in fuel cells will not only reduce cost, but also means less material will be needed in the catalyst. And, while cobalt is cheap now, a commenter over at Nobel Intent wonders how this will change once it’s in ubiquitous use in fuel cells.
