New discovery reduces fuel cell cost

Scientists have discovered a way to drastically reduce the cost of hydrogen fuel cells, potentially making the technology affordable for mainstream production.

Traditionally, fuel cells have used platinum as a catalyst.

Platinum is expensive, preventing hydrogen fuel cells from gaining widespread support.

Now, scientists believe that carbon nanotubes could be used instead of platinum.

As well as being cheaper than platinum, carbon nanotubes have a longer life-span.

Carbon nanotubes are used as a catalyst to turn the chemical energy in hydrogen into electricity.

Fuel cells combine hydrogen with oxygen to create electricity. The only by-product is water.

Liming Dai, lead scientist of the University of Dayton team who conducted the research, said: “Carbon nanotubes have long-term operational stability.

“They are even better than platinum, long regarded as the best catalyst.

“Since 1990 the cost of producing carbon nanotubes has fallen 100-fold and can be expected to fall further.

“Platinum on the other hand is a finite resource - there are limited reserves in nature.”

It is not yet known whether cars of the future will be powered by nanotubes; the technology first needs to be tested outside the laboratory in a real world environment.