Credit: Georgia Tech / Liu / Chen
The new Georgia Tech fuel cell catalyst, a coating only about two dozen nanometers thick, works in two phases. First, the nanoparticles on top grab molecular oxygen from the air and make it very easy and tear apart into single oxygen ions. Then oxygen vacancies in the nanoparticle rapidly pass the oxygen ions to the second phase, a layer full of oxygen vacancies which shuttle the ions to their meeting with ionic hydrogen to complete the chemical process that powers fuel cells.