Gulf Insider

Scientists Boost Battery, Fuel Cell Performance By Over 300%

Researchers in South Korea have developed a new catalyst design strategy that boosts the efficiency of reactions used in batteries and hydrogen fuel cells without changing the catalyst itself. The team, led by Professor Seung Jun Hwang of POSTECH and Professor Jaeyune Ryu of Seoul National University, found that adjusting the electrical environment around a catalyst can significantly improve its performance. The approach could help reduce energy losses in next-generation energy systems while improving efficiency and stability. Catalysts are materials that speed up chemical reactions. They are essential components in technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and metal-air batteries, where they help drive the reactions that generate electricity. Traditionally, researchers improve catalysts by changing the central metal, such as iron, cobalt, or nickel, or by redesigning the surrounding molecular structure known as a ligand. The new study takes a different route by leaving the catalyst largely unchanged and instead modifying the electric field around it. Electric Fields Drive Gains The researchers demonstrated that placing positively charged ions, known as cations, near the catalyst creates a localized electric field that influences how reactions proceed. The team focused on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), a key electrochemical process that generates electricity in fuel cells and […]