catalyst of tungsten carbide tagged posts

More Durable, Less Expensive Fuel Cells

Schematic of a two-step method for the synthesis of transition metal carbide nanoparticles dispersed on a carbon material

Schematic of a two-step method for the synthesis of transition metal carbide nanoparticles dispersed on a carbon material

Researchers have developed a new technology that could speed up the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles. A team of engineers at the University of Delaware has made a catalyst of tungsten carbide, which goes for around $150/kg instead of using expensive platinum at $30,000/kg. They produced tungsten carbide nanoparticles in a novel way, much smaller and more scalable than previous methods.

“The material is typically made at very high temperatures, about 1,500 Celsius, and at these temperatures, it grows big and has little surface area for chemistry to take place on,” said Dionisios Vlachos, director of UD’s Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation...

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