Electrocatalytic Activity in Fuel Cell Technologies

Fuel cells convert chemical energy into electrical power through electrochemical reactions with water as the primary by-product. Central to their performance is electrocatalytic activity, particularly the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode, which dictates conversion efficiency and system durability. Advances in nanostructuring, alloy design and support engineering have sought to overcome sluggish kinetics and high material costs associated with precious‐metal catalysts. Strategies such as atomic dispersion of active sites, strain and electronic modification, and synergistic interactions between catalyst particles and conductive matrices have led to significant gains in mass and specific activity. Real-time characterisation under operating conditions now guides rational catalyst design. These developments underpin the global drive to deploy proton exchange membrane, solid oxide and direct alcohol fuel cells across transportation, stationary and portable power sectors, offering a pathway to sustainable energy conversion with reduced carbon footprint.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Researchers have engineered anisotropic mesoporous platinum–nickel core–shell framework nanowires with an ultrathin platinum-skin shell. The open mesoporous architecture enhances molecular accessibility while compressive surface strains weaken oxygenated species binding. This design delivers mass and specific activities several times higher than commercial platinum catalysts alongside negligible decay after tens of thousands of cycles, demonstrating promising stability and Pt utilisation under realistic fuel cell conditions.

A hybrid electrocatalyst comprising atomically dispersed platinum and iron single atoms alongside platinum–iron alloy nanoparticles has shown a three- to four-fold increase in mass activity for ORR over standard Pt/C. With ultra-low Pt loading on the cathode, the system retains over 95% of its initial activity after extensive cycling and prolonged steady-state operation, highlighting the role of synergistic active-site ensembles in enhancing both performance and durability.

Electrocatalytic Activity in Fuel Cell Technologies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrocatalytic activity in fuel cell technologies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR): The electrochemical conversion of molecular oxygen into water or hydroxide, often the rate-limiting step in fuel cells.

Mass activity: Catalyst current output normalised by the mass of precious metal, indicating utilisation efficiency.

Specific activity: Catalyst current output per unit of electrochemically active surface area, reflecting intrinsic activity.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC): A device that generates electricity by transporting protons across a polymer membrane while reducing oxygen at the cathode.

Atomic dispersion: Distribution of single metal atoms on a support to maximise active-site density and minimise precious metal usage.

Catalyst support: A conductive substrate that disperses active particles, influences electronic properties and maintains structural integrity under operating conditions.

References

1. Advanced electrocatalysts for fuel cells: Evolution of active sites and synergistic properties of catalysts and carrier materials. Exploration (2024).
2. Mesoporous Pt@Pt-skin Pt3Ni core-shell framework nanowire electrocatalyst for efficient oxygen reduction. Nature Communications (2023).
3. Atomically dispersed Pt and Fe sites and Pt–Fe nanoparticles for durable proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Nature Catalysis (2022).
4. A fundamental comprehension and recent progress in advanced Pt‐based ORR nanocatalysts. SmartMat (2021).