Their research focuses on how platinum coarsens in the catalyst of fuel-powered lithium-ion battery stacks. These changes affect the vehicle's engine by supporting the metal's properties at the particle level, supplying electric power through chemical reactions between hydrogen fuel and oxygen in the air.
While the reaction time is short, ensuring optimal performance and being able to detect where and why this coarsening behavior occurs are crucial issues, thus prompting Toyota to accelerate research into other fuel cell lithium-ion battery projects. The rarity and high cost of platinum as a raw material further enhances the value of this research.
Until now, it has been possible to observe the platinum coarsening reaction at a precise point in time before or after the reaction occurs. Toyota has developed a new observation technique at the Japan Fine Ceramics Center, using precise simulations of the environment and conditions under which test samples are placed in fuel-powered lithium-ion battery stacks.
In addition, a new method of applying voltage to the transmission electron microscope sample allows observation of all stages of the real-time power generation coarsening process.
The findings will contribute to a better understanding and resolution of issues related to platinum-supported catalysts. This will facilitate more effective and sustainable advancements in research on fuel cell-powered lithium-ion battery stacks for power generation.
