A plastic air electrode
Air electrodes, which reduce oxygen, are essential components of fuel cells. The best yields are obtained with platinum electrodes. Besides the high price and the relatively low abundance of metal which make these electrodes very expensive components, the platinum particles of the composite electrodes tend to become inactive in contact with carbon monoxide CO, or when they agglomerate.
Researchers at Monash University have just made a remarkable breakthrough by developing an efficient, durable and inexpensive air electrode. The air electrode has a thin layer of 0,4 micro-m thick of a highly conductive plastic on a porous GORE-TEX substrate. Conductive plastic is a type of polyethylene, poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) known as PEDOT; it functions as both an electrode of the fuel cell and a catalyst. The GORE-TEX fabric of a garment has the property of "drawing" through its pores the water vapor molecules formed on the athlete's skin; similarly, oxygen is attracted and enters the fuel cell and comes into contact with the conductive plastic.
No degradation of the catalyst electrode or deterioration of its performance was observed during tests conducted continuously for periods of up to 1500 hours. The oxygen conversion rates are comparable to those obtained with platinum electrodes of comparable geometry.
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