Selenium anchors could improve durability of platinum fuel cell catalysts

Platinum has long been used as a catalyst in fuel cells, but the metal's high cost has hindered fuel cells from competing with cheaper ways of powering automobiles and homes. Now researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new platinum-based catalytic system that is more durable than traditional commercial systems and has a potentially longer lifespan. The process involves using nanoscale spheres of selenium that react with a salt precursor to platinum to generate particles of platinum smaller than two nanometers in diameter.