A new process for assembling iron-platinum nanoparticles on grapheme may result in effective catalysts for fuel cells, according to a report in Chemical and Engineering News (C&EN).

The materials display up to nine times the catalytic activity and are more stable than current platinum catalyst.

Cathodes in fuel cells are made from amorphous carbon sheets that are embedded with platinum naonparticles.

However, the carbon eventually degrades, meaning the catalysts move around and lose activity.

Graphene – a one-atom thick sheet of carbon – offers a structure that bonds more strongly with the platinum.

"The key for catalysis is you want the nanoparticles to be uniform, with the same size and shape," explains Shouheng Sun from Brown University, who led the research.

"Compared to commercial platinum catalysts on amorphous carbon, the material shows 5.9 to 8.8 times higher current density, a measure of catalytic activity, in an oxygen reduction reaction," states C&EN.

In addition, activity does not fall even after the reaction has been carried out 10,000 times, suggesting it is a very durable material.
Graphene, hailed as a "miracle material", has a multitude of uses and is incredibly strong.

"Our research establishes graphene as the strongest material ever measured, some 200 times stronger than structural steel," says mechanical engineering professor James Hone of Columbia University.

"It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of Saran Wrap."

Source:

Nanoparticle Catalysts That Rest On Graphene (03/02/12)

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