Itsy bitsy research

UMR professors Charles C. Chusuei and Yangchuan Xing, with graduate students Robert V. Hull and Liang Li, recently reported success with characterizing the surfaces of carbon nanotube fuel cell catalysts. The National Synchroton Light Source, a scientific facility that is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, recently reported on the team's research, which appeared in the April 6 issue of the journal Chemistry of Materials.

From the NSLS story:

Characterizing the surface structure of catalyst materials is important for the improvement of current fuel cell technology, which promises to deliver an environmentally benign means of energy production. Using x-rays produced at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), researchers at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) were able to detect the presence of PtOx at the outer-most perimeters of a potential catalyst: platinum nanoparticles tethered to carbon nanotubes. At the same time, they determined that its bulk composition was predominantly metallic.

Fuel cells are devices capable of generating electrical energy directly without involving a thermal cycle that typically release greenhouse gases, such as CO and NOx, into the atmosphere. Today, burning coal is still the primary and most efficient (with regard to power density) means of electrical energy production in the United States. New information obtained from a study performed at the NSLS may help catalyst researchers design improved fuel cell devices that can compete with current fossil fuel technology.