March 2015

Multimetal nanoframes

Concentrating noble-metal catalyst atoms on the surface of porous nano-frame alloys shows over thirty-fold increase in performance.

A team of researchers has synthesized a highly active and durable class of electrocatalysts by exploiting the structural evolution of solid Pt-Ni bimetallic nanocrystals into porous cage-like structures or nanoframes. This novel material significantly enhanced catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction – the splitting of an O2 molecule into two oxygen ions – that is critical to fuel cells and potentially other electrochemical applications.