I know that this blog is and always will be about Solar Energy, but when I find interresting article about another industry’s discovery, I can’t hold myself from covering this subject as well…. -:) I’m like the guys at the EcoGeek blog. They are my favourites… So here we go.

The scientists from Melbourne’s Monash University has developed this fuel cell prototype which is much cheeper to produce and much more efficient in the final product. Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity and water and are thus a key area of research for powering greener cars.

australian-cathode Cheep hydrogen fuel cells on their way to the productions....

The main obstacle to the mass production of hydrogen fuel cells has always been the high cost of platinum nanoparticles — the small quantity contained within each cell typically adds $3500 to $4000 to the car’s sticker price — which are used to build the cell’s air electrode. The electrode reduces oxygen and is thus a vital component of the fuel cell, helping in energy generation and storage. Aside from its high cost, platinum nanoparticles are also extremely difficult to find and have a nasty tendency to become inactivated by contact with carbon monoxide or by clumping together.

Source: Treehugger and ABC Science

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