Policy / Systems / Technology

February 14, 2013

 

Hitachi Develops Fuel Cell Electrodes without Platinum

Keywords: Environmental Technology Manufacturing industry 

Hitachi, Ltd. announced on October 10, 2012, that it developed new non-platinum-containing electrodes for use in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). By eliminating expensive platinum, the new electrodes are expected to reduce the cost of DMFCs by about 45%. The company aims to apply the newly developed DMFCs to emergency and outdoor portable electronic devices.

DMFCs are polyelectrolyte membrane fuel cells that use methanol solution as fuel. Since the methanol solution and air are directly supplied to the electrodes to generate electricity, hydrogen generation devices are not required, allowing for smaller cell stacks. Hitachi has been developing fuel cells since the 1960s and started developing DMFCs using solid polyelectrolyte membrane in 2001.

Related JFS article:
Japanese Automakers Round Out Top 3 in Fuel Cell Patent Applications

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