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OKIsItJustMe

(19,938 posts)
Tue Jun 4, 2013, 09:58 PM Jun 2013

Los Alamos catalyst could jumpstart e-cars, green energy

http://www.lanl.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2013/June/06.04-catalyst-could-jumpstart-ecars.php
[font face=Serif][font size=5]Los Alamos catalyst could jumpstart e-cars, green energy[/font]
[font size=4]The new material has the highest oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in alkaline media of any non-precious metal catalyst developed to date.[/font]

June 4, 2013

[font size=4]Economical non-precious-metal catalyst capitalizes on carbon nanotubes[/font]

[font size=3]LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, June 4, 2013—Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have designed a new type of nanostructured-carbon-based catalyst that could pave the way for reliable, economical next-generation batteries and alkaline fuel cells, providing for practical use of wind- and solar-powered electricity, as well as enhanced hybrid electric vehicles.

In a paper appearing recently in Nature Communications, Los Alamos researchers Hoon T. Chung, Piotr Zelenay and Jong H. Won, the latter now at the Korea Basic Science Institute, describe a new type of nitrogen-doped carbon-nanotube catalyst. The new material has the highest oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in alkaline media of any non-precious metal catalyst developed to date. This activity is critical for efficient storage of electrical energy.

The new catalyst doesn’t use precious metals such as platinum, which is more expensive per ounce than gold, yet it performs under certain conditions as effectively as many well-known and prohibitively expensive precious-metal catalysts developed for battery and fuel-cell use. Moreover, although the catalyst is based on nitrogen-containing carbon nanotubes, it does not require the tedious, toxic and costly processing that is usually required when converting such materials for catalytic use.

“These findings could help forge a path between nanostructured-carbon-based materials and alkaline fuel cells, metal-air batteries and certain electrolyzers,” said Zelenay. “A lithium-air secondary battery, potentially the most-promising metal-air battery known, has an energy storage potential that is 10 times greater than a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery. Consequently, the new catalyst makes possible the creation of economical lithium-air batteries that could power electric vehicles, or provide efficient, reliable energy storage for intermittent sources of green energy, such as windmills or solar panels.”

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2944
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Los Alamos catalyst could jumpstart e-cars, green energy (Original Post) OKIsItJustMe Jun 2013 OP
NO platinum, hmm ok. FogerRox Jun 2013 #1
Not immediately obvious how this goes beyond other Lithium-air developments BlueStreak Jun 2013 #2
 

BlueStreak

(8,377 posts)
2. Not immediately obvious how this goes beyond other Lithium-air developments
Tue Jun 4, 2013, 10:16 PM
Jun 2013

other than that they have tossed in the nenotube buzzwords. Their potential energy density claim seems to be a little higher than previous claims for Lithium-air -- maybe 2X more dense. Not bad, but I'm not sure it measures up to the hyperbole in the announcement.

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