Fluorine-doped carbon catalysts break barriers in fuel cell technology for a greener future
Revolutionize clean energy—listen now!
Hydrogen-based fuel cells have emerged as a leading contender to replace traditional internal combustion engines as the world moves towards cleaner, more efficient energy technologies. However, the widespread adoption of fuel cells has been hindered by the high costs and limited availability of platinum, the standard catalyst used for the crucial oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
A team of researchers, including Khalifa University’s Prof. Akram Alfantazi and Dr. Karuppasamy Karuppasamy, has investigated using fluorine-doped carbons as a breakthrough innovation to revolutionize fuel cell technology. With researchers from Keimyung University, South Korea, Central Electrochemical Research Institute, India, Academy of Scientific and Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, China, the KU team reviewed the potential of fluorine-doped carbons in making fuel cells more stable and durable.
Their review was published in, a top 1% journal.
Fuel cells generate electricity through electrochemical reactions, with the ORR at the cathode a key step. Historically, platinum supported on carbon has been preferred due to its high activity, but platinum’s high cost and susceptibility to fuel impurities limit its commercial viability.
Fluorine-doped carbons may represent a significant advancement. The electronic properties of carbon are modified through the introduction of fluorine, the most electronegative element in the periodic table. This doping changes the electronic band structure of carbon, enhancing its interaction with oxygen molecules and improving the ORR activity.
The fluorine also enhances durability, which is particularly crucial in the harsh conditions within fuel cells where stability against corrosion and oxidative potentials is paramount. Fluorine-doped carbons are exceptionally resistant to carbon corrosion, even in highly acidic and alkaline environments. This resilience is attributed to the formation of highly polarized carbon-fluorine bonds, which not only fortify the carbon matrix but also prevent degradation during the start-up and shut-down cycles of fuel cells, which are typically challenging for conventional catalysts.
More resistance to degradation means longer catalyst life and more reliable performance. Plus, fluorine-doped carbons can also work synergistically with other atoms like nitrogen, sulfur, boron and phosphorus. This could create more active sites for catalysis and introduce further beneficial defects in the carbon lattice, boosting the ORR activity. Nitrogen and fluorine co-doping, for example, has shown exceptional results, dramatically lowering the energy barriers for ORR and enhancing the overall efficiency of the fuel cell.
“The potential applications of fluorine-doped carbons extend beyond fuel cells,” Prof. Alfantazi says. “Their enhanced catalytic properties make them suitable for various electrochemical devices, including batteries and supercapacitors. Ongoing research aims to optimize the synthesis methods for these materials, focusing on achieving the perfect balance of dopants and structural properties to maximize performance and durability.”
By overcoming the limitations of traditional platinum-based catalysts, fluorine-doped carbons pave the way for more efficient, cost-effective and durable fuel cells.
