Posted on 04/29/2025 11:58:19 PM PDT by Red Badger
The new catalyst lost less than 1.1 percent power after 90,000 test cycles, far surpassing the U.S. Department of Energy’s 30,000-hour target.
Representational image: Toyota hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle, 2019. Unsplash/Darren Halstead
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Scientists in the US have designed a new fuel catalyst that has the potential to significantly extend the lifespan of hydrogen fuel batteries to over 200,000 hours, in a bid to develop a clean energy solutions in long-haul transportation.
The research team, led by Yu Huang, PhD, a professor of materials science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Samueli School of Engineering, recently unveiled the groundbreaking catalyst design that combines pure platinum with a graphene-protective layer and a porous carbon support.
Capable of powering fuel cells for nearly seven times longer than the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2050 target which stands at 30,000 hours for heavy-duty proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems, the advancement promises to bring sustainable long-haul tracking closer to reality by tackling one of the most persistent technical challenges – durability.
Fuel cell breakthrough
Despite making up only about 5 percent of all vehicles, medium- and heavy-duty trucks are responsible for nearly a quarter of all automotive greenhouse gas emissions. While batteries offer a clean solution, their weight and slow charging times limit their use for large, long-distance vehicles.
“With a projected power output of 1.08 watts per square centimeter, fuel cells featuring the new catalyst can deliver the same performance as conventional batteries that weigh up to eight times more,” the researchers said. In contrast, hydrogen fuel cells offer faster refueling and a much lighter alternative, but persistent catalyst degradation has, until now, limited their wider adoption.
VIDEOS AT LINK.............
Fuel cells generate electricity by converting hydrogen’s chemical energy, emitting only water vapor as a byproduct. While this makes them a promising alternative for cleaner transportation, conventional platinum-alloy catalysts, used to speed up the chemical reaction, tend to lose effectiveness over time as alloying metals leach out under harsh conditions.
To tackle the issue, the researchers engineered an innovative particles-within-particles structure by embedding ultrafine platinum nanoparticles into graphene pockets, leveraging graphene’s extraordinary strength and conductivity. They then nested these graphene-encased particles within a porous carbon support material called Ketjenblack.
The design reportedly shields the platinum from the degradation typically seen in alloy-based catalysts, even during the intense voltage cycling required for heavy-duty vehicles.
Shaping the future of heavy-duty transport
“Heavy-duty fuel cell systems must withstand harsh operating conditions over long periods, making durability a key challenge,” Huang explained, adding that the pure platinum catalyst, reinforced with a graphene-based shield, prevents alloying element leaching and overcomes the weaknesses of conventional platinum alloys.
“This innovation ensures that the catalyst remains active and robust, even under the demanding conditions typical of long-haul applications,” he concludes in a press release.
The researchers were stunned by the outcome of the accelerated stress test, which simulated real-world driving conditions with 90,000 voltage cycles. The catalyst demonstrated a power loss of less than 1.1 percent, a performance far exceeding the 10 percent loss typically considered excellent.
According to Huang, this level of durability projects a system lifespan of over 200,000 hours, massively exceeding DOE’s goal of 30,000 hours for heavy-duty fuel cells.
Beyond performance, the novel technology could also make hydrogen infrastructure cheaper to deploy than nationwide electric vehicle charging networks, further accelerating the shift to cleaner trucking. If adopted widely, it could drastically reduce emissions from one of transportation’s most polluting sectors, ultimately bringing clean, efficient, long-haul trucking within reach.
The team’s achievement builds on earlier work, where they developed a fuel cell catalyst for light-duty vehicles that lasted 15,000 hours, nearly double the DOE’s 8,000-hour goal.
The study has been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-025-01895-3
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This is an EV technology I could live with. Not that I could ever own one: I’m retired and on a fixed income. It will continue to be old IC engines for me.
CC
BMW had models using Hydrogen 30 years ago. Will they be the first “at bat”?
,,, fueling would probably take five minutes and range expectations would be around 1200km on a fill, according to a guy I talked with last week. Bye-bye electric vehicles.
While that helps, but what matters is performance under real world conditions when you’re towing 1000lbs of tools.
(Breakthrough US hydrogen fuel cell promises 200,000-hour life with minimal power loss)
That’s what I use on my latest upgraded T-800 robots 🤖🤖🤖🤖
Every now and then one of the fuel cells goes unstable and blows up in the California desert 🏜️.
Just ignore that small mushroom cloud. The Russian ICBMs are coming later anyways.
Fuel cells generate electricity ...................
“...the new catalyst can deliver the same performance as conventional batteries that weigh up to eight times more...”
So, for the same weight as a battery, we’re looking at 8x the range.................
“...the advancement promises to bring sustainable long-haul tracking closer to reality by tackling one of the most persistent technical challenges – durability..”
Targeting BIG TRUCK-TRACTORS, but smaller trucks would be no problem.........
Towing 1000lbs might cause a truck to lose 15-25% efficiency.
Much more as you load up a semi with 40,000lbs.
Way better than EV.
I don’t think of it as EV in that you go to the filling station and fill up min a few minutes.
No hours of charging for 200 miles.
Like gas but no carbon monoxide or smog creating exhaust particles.
Longer life catalyst is good, it is applied to the membrane. But have there been significant advances in membrane life? Sixteen years ago the membrane’s life was the issue. It became brittle in just a few hundred hours at most. Little holes allowed thr hydrogen on me side react with the oxygen (air) on the other side creating little fires within the realm that quickly degraded the call .
If the reason for developing so called "green" energy it to cut down on greenhouse gases, then water vapor is way worse than CO2.
I'll continue to drive my Tundra to save Erf.
Yet another solution looking for a problem.
The one advantage of hydrogen is that you can build a plant in inhospitable places and pump sea water to the plant and create hydrogen. Green the desert in the process.
So 200K hours is about 22 years of continuous operation. Do they test it over that timeframe? IOW, did they start in 2003?
And the only by-product is water. Which could be an interesting feature in more arid climates.
CC
They have an ACCELERATED TEST SEQUENCE that basically stresses the fuel cell over and over continuously.
From GOOGLE AI:
Accelerated stress testing (AST) in hydrogen fuel cells involves exposing components to conditions that mimic or accelerate the degradation processes they would experience during real-world use, but in a shorter timeframe. This helps engineers predict durability and identify potential issues early on. AST protocols often include voltage cycling, temperature fluctuations, and humidity changes, as these factors can significantly impact the performance and lifespan of fuel cell components.
Key aspects of AST procedures:
Voltage Cycling:
Simulating the load variations a fuel cell experiences during operation, potentially with specific square wave profiles or step changes in voltage to induce degradation.
Temperature Fluctuation:
Exposing components to different temperature ranges, including cold starts and high operating temperatures, to assess the impact of thermal stresses.
Humidity Cycling:
Simulating variations in water content within the fuel cell, which can affect the membrane and catalyst layers.
Gas Composition:
Testing with different gas compositions (e.g., varying humidity levels in the reactant gases) to assess the impact on degradation.
Current Cycling:
Using current density variations to mimic load changes and assess the durability of the cell under different operating conditions.
Specific examples of AST protocols:
Break-in:
A preliminary phase that includes a series of voltage sweeps or other conditions to activate the fuel cell and establish a baseline performance.
HAST (Humidity Accelerated Stress Test):
Cycling humidity and temperature to assess membrane degradation under various conditions.
MEAs (Membrane Electrode Assembly):
Testing MEAs, the core components of a fuel cell, under various stress conditions to evaluate their performance and lifespan.
Catalyst Layer Degradation:
Specific tests designed to accelerate the degradation of the catalyst layer, often involving voltage cycling and temperature fluctuations.
Goals of AST:
Accelerated Degradation: Speeding up the degradation process to shorten testing times.
Failure Prediction: Estimating the lifespan of fuel cell components based on AST data.
Material Selection: Evaluating the durability of different materials under stress conditions.
Design Optimization: Identifying areas for improvement in fuel cell design to enhance durability.
Water vapor exhaust could be interesting in winter time cold climates.
Feature Hydrogen Fuel Cell Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Battery-Electric Truck Energy Source Hydrogen gas (H₂) Diesel or gasoline Lithium-ion battery (electric grid) Refueling/Charging Time 10–20 minutes 5–10 minutes 1–4 hours (fast charging); 8–12 hrs standard Range (typical) 300–500+ miles 500–1,200 miles 150–300 miles (currently) Weight Lighter than battery-electric (no heavy batteries) Light to moderate Heaviest (batteries are dense and heavy) Fuel Cost per Mile $1.00–$2.00 (current hydrogen cost) $0.50–$0.70 (diesel) $0.30–$0.50 (electricity) Maintenance Needs Low (few moving parts, but sensitive) Moderate to high (engine, fluids, wear & tear) Low (few moving parts) Emissions Water vapor only CO₂, NOₓ, particulates None (local); emissions depend on grid source Durability (New Tech) 200,000 hours (claim from UCLA study) ~1 million miles (with rebuilds) Battery lifespan ~8–10 years Infrastructure Sparse (limited hydrogen stations) Fully built out nationwide Expanding, but still limited for heavy trucks Vehicle Cost (current) $300K–$700K+ $100K–$150K $350K–$500K+ Ideal Use Case Long-haul trucking, quick refueling needs All-purpose Urban/local delivery, short haul Scalability (Future) Moderate (depends on green H₂ production, cost) Already maximized High (as battery tech improves)
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