Premature degradation of the electrocatalysts is one of the key challenges facing automotive companies in their efforts to develop a marketable hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.  Cost is also a major issue, and in stationary power applications it is an even more critical consideration.

 

Conventional Platinum and Platinum-Alloy supported electrocatalysts suffer from unacceptable degradation mechanisms under normal driving conditions.  Over time, the performance of conventional electrocatalysts degrades and the fuel cell engine must be replaced.

 

While there are hundreds of prototype fuel cell vehicles on the road today, and several thousand hydrogen fuel cells in backup power and other applications, marketable products are still largely under development.

 

Cabot offers a wide range of technical capabilities in electrocatalyst development which are critical to the development of future generations of durable, low cost electrocatalysts for hydrogen fuel cells.

 

Cabot's technical capabilities include:

• Ability to manufacture carbon and non-carbon supported electrocatalysts (such as metal oxide and ceramic type materials)

• Chemically modified carbon technologies, which allow control of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of the electrocatalyst

• Corrosion resistant carbons for more durable cathode electrocatalysts

• Rapid prototyping and high throughput electrocatalyst development

• Broad capability to make a very wide variety of catalysts and other fine particle materials.

  

Learn more about Cabot Reactive Spray Technology

Cabot Catalysts Group

Learn more about Cabot particle technologies