New Catalyst replaceable platinum for electric-automobiles

Affordable and scalable process of a carbon nanotube-based catalyst outperforming platinum for electric-automobiles

2013-07-03

(Press-News.org) Ulsan, S. Korea, July 2, 2013 – Korean researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), S. Korea, developed a novel bio-inspired composite electrocatalyst outperforming platinum.

This research work was published on June 25, in the journal Nature Communications. (Title: Promotion of Oxygen reduction by a bio-inspired tethered iron phthalocyanine carbon nanotube-based catalyst).

The research team from UNIST, S. Korea, developed an inexpensive and scalable bio-inspired composite electrocatalyst, iron phthalocyanine with an axial ligand anchored on single-walled carbon nanotubes, demonstrating a higher electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction than the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalysts as well as an exceptional durability during cycling in an alkaline media.

Electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction are critical components that may dramatically enhance the performance of fuel cells and metal-air batteries, which are perceived to be the power for future electric vehicles.

Currently Pt and its alloy are known as the most efficient catalysts for activation of the oxygen reduction reaction. However, the application of them is limited due to their high costs and scarce reserves.

Scientists worldwide are speculating to find better catalysts which outperform platinum catalysts with low cost and simple production processes.

The UNIST research team led by Prof. Jaephil Cho, dean of the Interdisciplinary School of Green Energy, UNIST, demonstrated a new strategy to rationally design inexpensive and durable electrochemical oxygen reduction catalysts for metal-air batteries and fuel cells.

The research team designed a new class of ORR catalysts using pyridine-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to anchor FePc molecules and provide the axial ligand for the iron centre. At the same time, the CNTs provide an easy pathway for fast electron transfer from the current collector to the ORR active sites.

The resulting material, bio-inspired FePc-Py-CNTs catalyst has shown outstanding durability and electrocatalytic activity for ORR in an alkaline media, offering better performance than a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Compared to other unpyrilysed metal macrocycles catalysts, this bio inspired FePc-Py-CNTs catalyst has achieved a much longer cycle life , reaching more than 1,000 cycles in a durability test.

"I believe the FePc-Py-CNTs catalysts is a technologically promising candidate for practical applications in metal-air batteries and alkaline fuel cells," said Prof. Cho. "The origin of the enhanced performance for this bio-inspired catalysts in aromatic macrocycle, provides important insight into rational design of metal macrocycles catalysts for other applications such as solar harvesting and catalysts for other redox reactions."

INFORMATION:

The fellow researchers include Ruiguo Cao, Ranjit Thapa, Hyejung Kim, Xioadong Xu, and Prof. Noejung Park from UNIST and researchers from Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL), Loa Alamos National Laboratory and Georgia Institute of Technology.

The research was supported by the Converging Research Centre Program through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST). The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) is also acknowledged.

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology http://www.unist.ac.kr Original article is found at Homepage of Prof. Jaephil Cho http://www.jpcho.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Older women who quit smoking can cut heart disease risk regardless of diabetes status

2013-07-03

Postmenopausal women who quit smoking reduced their risk of heart disease, regardless of whether they had diabetes, according to a new study conducted by Juhua Luo, an epidemiologist at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington. Her findings, "Smoking Cessation, Weight Change and Coronary Heart Disease Among Postmenopausal Women With and Without Diabetes," were published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Women who gained more than 5 kilograms or 11 pounds after they quit smoking still saw their risk for cardiovascular disease ...

Single men, smokers at higher risk for oral human papillomavirus infection, Moffitt study shows

2013-07-03

Smokers and single men are more likely to acquire cancer-causing oral human papillomavirus (HPV), according to new results from the HPV Infection in Men (HIM) Study. Researchers from Moffitt Cancer Center, the National Cancer Institute, Mexico and Brazil also report that newly acquired oral HPV infections in healthy men are rare and when present, usually resolve within one year. The study results appeared in the July issue of The Lancet. HPV infection is known to cause virtually all cervical cancers, most anal cancers and some genital cancers. It has recently been established ...

Insecticide causes changes in honeybee genes, research finds

2013-07-02

New research by academics at The University of Nottingham has shown that exposure to a neonicotinoid insecticide causes changes to the genes of the honeybee. The study, published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, supports the recent decision taken by the European Commission to temporarily ban three neonicotinoids amid concerns that they could be linked to bee deaths. There is growing evidence connecting the decline in the honeybee population that pollinates one-third of the food that we eat, and insecticides, but this is the first comprehensive study to look at changes ...

Scientists help explain visual system's remarkable ability to recognize complex objects

2013-07-02

LA JOLLA, CA--How is it possible for a human eye to figure out letters that are twisted and looped in crazy directions, like those in the little security test internet users are often given on websites? It seems easy to us--the human brain just does it. But the apparent simplicity of this task is an illusion. The task is actually so complex, no one has been able to write computer code that translates these distorted letters the same way that neural networks can. That's why this test, called a CAPTCHA, is used to distinguish a human response from computer bots that try ...

Listening to blood cells: Simple test could use sound waves for diagnosing blood-related diseases

2013-07-02

New research reveals that when red blood cells are hit with laser light, they produce high frequency sound waves that contain a great deal of information. Similar to the way one can hear the voices of different people and identify who they are, investigators reporting in the July 2 issue of Biophysical Journal, published by Cell Press, could analyze the sound waves produced by red blood cells and recognize their shape and size. The information may aid in the development of simple tests for blood-related diseases. "We plan to make specialized devices that will allow the ...

Mental disorders in 13.5 percent of Canadian Forces personnel deployed to Afghanistan

2013-07-02

An important minority — 13.5% — of Canadian Forces personnel who served in support of the Afghanistan mission in 2001–08 have been found to have a mental health disorder related to their deployment, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Since 2001, more than 40 000 Canadian Forces personnel have been deployed in support of the Afghanistan mission. Although studies from other countries have shown mental health problems in personnel returning from missions in Southwest Asia, there are important differences between nations in areas ...

Non-invasive brain stimulation helps stroke patients gain prolonged language recovery

2013-07-02

VIDEO: The article as it appears in JoVE. Click here for more information. On July 2nd, JoVE will publish a video article showing the details of a technique developed by researchers to improve language function in stroke patients with chronic speech-language impairment. Strokes occur when a brain clot blocks blood flow in parts of the brain, essentially starving groups of neurons of oxygen, which is necessary for normal function. Nearly 130,000 of the 795,000 strokes ...

Breakthrough: Sensors monitor cells at work

2013-07-02

Stanford, CA—Transport proteins are responsible for moving materials such as nutrients and metabolic products through a cell's outer membrane, which seals and protects all living cells, to the cell's interior. These transported molecules include sugars, which can be used to fuel growth or to respond to chemical signals of activity or stress outside of the cell. Measuring the activity of transporter proteins in a living organism has been a challenge for scientists, because the methods are difficult, often require the use of radioactive tracers, and are difficult to use in ...

Drug improves cognitive function in mouse model of Down syndrome, Stanford study says

2013-07-02

STANFORD, Calif. —An existing FDA-approved drug improves cognitive function in a mouse model of Down syndrome, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The drug, an asthma medication called formoterol, strengthened nerve connections in the hippocampus, a brain center used for spatial navigation, paying attention and forming new memories, the study said. It also improved contextual learning, in which the brain integrates spatial and sensory information. Both hippocampal function and contextual learning, which are impaired ...

Brown fat responsible for from heart disease-related deaths in winter

2013-07-02

More people die from heart-disease during the winter months, and according to a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the increase in mortality is possibly due to the accelerated growth of atherosclerotic plaque in the blood vessels caused by the activation of brown fat by the cold. It has long been known that the number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases increases during the winter. It has been speculated that this might be the result of over-exertion while shovelling snow and a general decrease in physical activity, although the underlying mechanisms ...

The challenge of pursuit – how saccades enable mammals to simultaneously chase prey and navigate through complex environments

Music can touch the heart, even inside the womb

Contribution of cannabis use disorder to new cases of schizophrenia has almost tripled over the past 17 years

[Press-News.org] New Catalyst replaceable platinum for electric-automobiles
Affordable and scalable process of a carbon nanotube-based catalyst outperforming platinum for electric-automobiles

New Catalyst replaceable platinum for electric-automobiles

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: