Chinese scientists develop faster, more efficient method for platinum catalysts

(ECNS) - A team of Chinese scientists has developed a new method to rapidly produce platinum-group metal catalysts, using millisecond-scale thermal pulses to precisely control their atomic structures, Tianjin University said.

Led by Professor Hu Wenbin, the research team developed a "transient assembly" strategy that enables the ultrafast synthesis of core-shell catalysts. The findings were published Friday in the journal Science.

Conventional methods for producing platinum-based catalysts typically require prolonged high-temperature processing, leading to high energy consumption and limited control over catalyst structure.

The new approach allows production processes that previously took hours to be completed within minutes, while reducing energy consumption per unit of catalyst by 90%, according to the university.

The catalysts achieved a rated power output of 15.2 kilowatts per gram of platinum in hydrogen fuel cells while maintaining durability, the researchers said.

Hu said the technology could provide new approaches for manufacturing advanced precious-metal catalysts used in hydrogen energy, chemical and environmental technologies.

(By Zhang Jiahao)