Atomic ‘CT scan’ reveals how gallium boosts fuel cell catalyst durability
Tidimensional atomic structures and catalytic activity of nanoparticles ptni dopés ga during the potential cycle. The upper row shows the 3D atomic structures at different stages (virgin at 12,000 cycles; blue: platinum, pink: nickel). The lower row visualizes the catalytic activity of oxygen reduction reaction (orr), where red indicates a higher activity. Gallium doping stabilizes octahedral geometry and preserves very active {111} facets, allowing sustained catalytic performance even after in -depth cycling. Credit: Nature communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038 / S41467-025-63448-5
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have long been hailed as the future of clean mobility: cars that only emit water while providing high efficiency and power density. However, an obstinate obstacle remains. The heart of the fuel cell, the platinum catalyst, is both expensive and subject to degradation. Over time, the catalyst is deteriorating during operation, forcing frequent replacements and keeping expensive hydrogen vehicles.
Understanding why and how these catalysts deteriorate at the atomic level is a long -standing challenge in catalyzing research. Without this knowledge, the design of really durable and affordable fuel cells for mass adoption remains out of reach.
Today, a team led by Professor Yongsoo Yang from the Kaist Department of Physics (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), in collaboration with Professor Eun-Ae Cho of the Kaist Material and Material Engineering Department, researchers from the University of Stanford and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, managed to follow the change in the cycle of the individual fuel battery. The results provide an unprecedented overview of degradation mechanisms at the atomic scale of platinum-nickel catalysts (PTNI) and demonstrate how gallium doping (GA) considerably improves their performance and sustainability.
The study is published in the journal Nature communications.
A new “Tomnolet scan” for catalysts
To carry out this breakthrough, the team used a technique of atomic computed tomography assisted by the neural network (AET). Like a computed tomography in a hospital reconstructing the interior of the human body from x -ray images, the AET determines the positions of thousands of atoms inside nanomaterials from high -resolution electron microscopy images taken from many different angles. By combining these reconstructions with an advanced correction of the data -based data, the researchers were able to map the exact 3D coordinates and the chemical identity of each atom in the catalysts of nanoparticles.
This allowed them to observe directly – to a resolution with unique atoms – how catalysts have changed structure, chemical composition and internal deformation because they have been cycle thousands of times in operating conditions of fuel cells.
Why gallium makes a difference
The researchers compared conventional PTNI catalysts with PTNi doped GA catalysts. The results revealed:
- The stability of the form: although the particles of PTNI not lost have gradually lost their advantageous octahedral shape and have become more spherical (that is to say, the fraction of facets {111} very active has been reduced), the particles doped Ga have retained their form of octaéderic even after 12,000 cycles.
- Chemical stability: In PTNI catalysts, nickel atoms have raised both surface and basement regions, resulting in structural instability. In GA doped catalysts, surface nickel has been largely preserved, preventing the collapse of the structure.
- Preservation of the strain: the compression constraint in the particles of PTNI, crucial to optimize the activity of reducing oxygen, has been considerably relaxed over time. On the other hand, the particles doped by GA maintained an almost optimal deformation.
- Catalytic performance: by integrating these factors, researchers have shown that if PTNI catalysts not lost ~ 17% of their oxygen reduction activity after 12,000 cycles, PTNI catalysts doped GA lost only ~ 4% and maintained a higher activity throughout.
Dr. Yang, who directed research, explained the meaning of the results: “These results represent the first time that the real dynamic of degradation of the 3D atomic scale of the catalysts of battery with fuel is directly visualized. Our results reveal not only why the works of gallium doping, but also to establish a powerful framework to conceive rationally the design of sustainable catalysts.”
Implications for a future powered by hydrogen
The study demonstrates that the AET assisted by the neural network can reveal how nanomaterials evolve during real operating conditions, overcoming the limits of traditional 2D imaging and average methods. Beyond PTNI catalysts, the technique can be applied to a wide range of nanomaterials and catalytic systems, helping to design the next generation of atomic energy materials.
For the saving of hydrogen, this means that more sustainable catalysts could prolong the lifespan of fuel cells, lower replacement costs and accelerate the generalized adoption of hydrogen vehicles and clean energy technologies.
More information:
Chaehwa Jeong et al, 3D structural dynamics on a atomic scale and functional degradation of nanocatalysis of the PT alloy during the oxygen reduction reaction, Nature communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038 / S41467-025-63448-5
Supplied by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist)
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