Japan Industry and Academia Promote Less Platinum R&D for Fuel Cell

Japanese universities and enterprises are leading new technology development to reduce platinum consumption in fuel cell electrocatalyst. They project to reduce the consumption by 90% until 2015. The promising methods are to coat various metal cores with platinum or to control shapes of nano-scale platinum particles, in order to activate catalyst functions.Electrocatalyst of PEFC (proton-exchange membrane fuel cell) is carbon electrode surfaced with nano-scale platinum particles. Platinum consumption is about 100 grams per car while platinum accounts for 30% in total cost of PEFC. Meanwhile, world platinum production is approximately 200 tonnes per annum, just as much as the consumption for only 2 million cars.In 2008, Japanese 14 universities and enterprises launched a project to reduce platinum consumption in PEFC by 90% until 2015. The project is conducted by Professor Minoru Inaba, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Doshisha University.The most promising method is currently reported to metallide cores of cobalt, palladium or gold by platinum shell. This method is confirmed to improve catalyst action by 5-6 times or possibly 10 times. Another method is to control atomic order on platinum particle surface for higher catalyst action. Catalyst function can improve by 50% to control platinum atom’s shape from cubic to octahedral.