McMaster researchers have taken atomic-level images of individual nanoparticles during heating that could lead to improved fuel-cell technologies at lower cost, reduce dependence on imported oil and minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Credit: McMaster University
Heating nanoparticles and atomic-level tracking allows for the development of other cheaper catalysts, such as platinum-ron nanoparticles. Typically, pricey platinum nanoparticles are used. This technology will reduce dependence on imported oil and minimize greenhouse gases.
Using advanced electron microscopic techniques the team was able to track the atomic-rearrangement process of an individual Platinum-Iron nanoparticle – as it got annealed inside the microscope. This work could have far-reaching impact on the automotive industry.
With the depletion of fossil fuel reserves, there has been a surge of interest in developing alternative energy sources, particularly in the area of fuel cell technology. Fuel cell devices can power vehicles by converting chemical energy into electrical energy in a far more efficient and environmentally-friendly way than the conventional combustion technologies. However, they rely on catalysts to operate and reducing catalyst-cost is crucial for commercialization.
A Titan 80-300 cubed microscope at McMaster’s Canadian Center for Electron Microscopy (CCEM) was used for the research. “In terms of capability, Titan electron microscope is similar to the Hubble Telescope. The difference is that the Titan allows us to explore atomic structure of materials, instead of stars and galaxies,” said Botton, also the Scientific Director of CCEM. “This includes identifying atoms, measuring their chemical state and even probing the electrons that bind atoms together.”
The researchers point out that the insights obtained were previously inaccessible with traditional analytical methods. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/mu-rdt121815.php
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