South Korean and German Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in Catalyst R&D to Accelerate Hydrogen Fuel Cell Adoption in Vehicles and Power Generation

According to foreign media reports, a research team led by Professor Jong-sung Yu from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea has successfully synthesized platinum-calcium alloy nanoparticles using a liquid phase method. These nanoparticles can serve as catalysts, simultaneously improving the efficiency and durability of hydrogen fuel cells, which are an emerging next-generation eco-friendly energy technology. The research findings have been published in the journal "Small".

Schematic diagram of the PtCa nanoparticle synthesis process (Image source: DGIST)

Previous studies have shown that combining platinum with alkaline earth metals such as calcium can produce catalysts with excellent performance and good durability. However, due to the considerable challenges associated with calcium during electrochemical processing, the alloying process with platinum is extremely difficult. As a result, there is still a significant lack of practical methods for synthesizing platinum–calcium alloy nanoparticles worldwide.

The newly developed catalyst is prepared by a liquid-phase synthesis method and features a core-shell structure, in which calcium atoms and platinum atoms are orderly arranged in the core, while the shell is a platinum-rich layer. This structure is considered the ideal catalyst structure for fuel cells because it innovatively combines the high catalytic activity of platinum with the stability of calcium.

The research team used platinum-calcium nanoparticles as an anode catalyst in actual hydrogen fuel cell environments, achieving performance and durability that exceed the U.S. Department of Energy's 2025 targets. In other words, this catalyst demonstrates an excellent level of performance and can be immediately applied to hydrogen energy vehicles and power generation devices.

To explore the origin of this achievement, the research team collaborated with the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany to carry out theoretical studies. The results showed that there is a strong interaction between platinum atoms and calcium atoms, which is the key reason for the catalyst’s excellent durability and long-term performance.

Professor Jong-sung Yu from DGIST stated, "It is usually challenging for fuel cell catalysts to achieve both high performance and durability simultaneously. However, the platinum-calcium alloy nanoparticles developed in this study not only exhibit excellent performance and durability but also have low production costs. Therefore, this is a highly promising technology that is expected to accelerate the commercialization process of hydrogen fuel cells in various applications."