Lung-inspired hydrogen fuel cell uses less platinum

Anupam JollyAug 25 2010

Eco Factor: Low-cost hydrogen fuel cell to generate clean energy.

Scientists at the Norwegian Academy of Science have designed a new type of hydrogen fuel cell that is inspired by human lungs. The lung-inspired hydrogen fuel cell can reduce the amount of expensive platinum catalyst, while increasing the efficiency of the cell.

human lungs

With less platinum catalyst, the cell uses channels modeled on the bronchial structure of the lungs to supply hydrogen and oxygen gas to their respective electrodes. This approach spreads the gases more uniformly across the catalyst than current designs and provides a greater surface area for more efficiency.

Image Courtesy: Flickr [Under a Creative Commons License]

Via: New Scientist

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