World’s 1st platinum-magnesium fuel cell catalyst unveiled, to boost efficiency

In a bid to transform clean energy technology, scientists at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology have created a platinum and magnesium fuel cell catalyst.

The new catalyst, which uses the world’s first platinum-magnesium alloy nanoparticles, is expected to be both highly efficient and durable, potentially offering significant improvements in clean energy technology.

The study was published in Nature Communications.

Speeding up reactions

Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity. Platinum, an expensive catalyst , speeds up these reactions.

By integrating magnesium into the alloy used in the new catalyst, the design cuts costs and enhances the fuel cell’s efficiency and longevity.

This is a significant achievement because, for years, researchers have known that platinum alloys with alkaline Earth metals hold immense potential for fuel cells due to their high catalytic activity and stability.

However, the challenge of creating these alloys in nanoparticle form, given the extremely high negative reduction potentials of the alkaline Earth metals, has remained a significant barrier until now.

In this research, Professor Jong-Sung Yu and co-workers have overcome this challenge through a systematic solution-phase approach.

What makes this new technology so special? Supporting theoretical studies conducted by the University of Texas at Austin explain that the relationship between platinum and magnesium is very strong, preventing the alloy from degrading over time. The catalyst thus remains effective for longer periods, which is crucial for various applications.

Theoretical studies show that the activity stems from a combination of ligand and strain effects between the intermetallic core and the platinum-rich shell, while the stability originates from magnesium’s high vacancy formation energy in the alloy.

Surpasses performance target

Practical tests have shown that the new alloy surpasses the US Department of Energy’s 2025 performance targets for fuel cells , demonstrating its high efficiency and long-term stability.

“Most fuel cell catalysts struggle with durability and cost, but by overcoming the synthesis challenge, our platinum-magnesium nanoparticles solve these issues by combining platinum’s excellent reaction speed with magnesium’s durability and affordability,” explained Professor Jong-Sung Yu, who led the study.

“This is a major step toward creating more efficient and sustainable fuel cells.”

“This new development doesn’t just make fuel cells work better; it also paves the way for using platinum-magnesium nanoparticles in other energy technologies, like hydrogen production and other electrochemical reactions,” said Caleb Gyan-Barimah, first author of the study.

As the world shifts towards sustainable energy, innovations like these are critical.

In this respect, the researchers focus on refining the alloy’s composition and scaling production to make these advanced materials more widely available.

Their next steps include improving the alloy, exploring manufacturing methods, and partnering with industry and government to bring these innovations to market.

This study opens up new opportunities to extend the platinum alloy region to include alkaline Earth metals in the form of nanoparticles. Due to the difficulty of synthesis, this area has rarely been explored.

This work also lays the foundation for developing stable electrocatalysts for energy applications.