Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Shells Improve Fuel Cell Catalyst Durability, Nagoya Study Shows

Researchers at Nagoya University have developed a fuel cell catalyst that keeps 96.9% of its electrochemical surface area after 30,000 accelerated durability cycles. The catalyst, called Pt@N-FLG/SWCNT, wraps platinum nanoparticles in nitrogen-doped graphene layers and attaches them to single-walled carbon nanotubes. In lab tests, it reached a mass activity of 369 mA/mg at 0.9 V, beating a commercial platinum-on-carbon reference. The results, published in ACS Catalysis, suggest a path toward more durable polymer-electrolyte fuel cells. Longer catalyst life could lower maintenance and replacement costs for hydrogen vehicles and stationary power. The remaining question is whether the nitrogen-doped graphene shell structure can be manufactured at scale and at a cost that competes with existing platinum catalysts.