TOKYO (Commodity Online): Showa Denko, Japan’s integrated chemical company, has come up with a niobium
oxide and titanium oxide compound which will act as a substitute for Platinum used as catalyst in polymer electrolyte fuel cells.

The niobium oxide and titanium oxide compounds contain carbon and nitrogen, and like platinum, they have properties to accelerate chemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity.

The compounds have shown the highest levels of efficiency among platinum substitutes developed so far, with open circuit voltage, or OCV, measuring over 1.00 V. OCV for platinum is 1.03-1.05 V.

OCV is the difference of electrical potential between the cathode and anode terminals at the state of zero current. The OCV shows power generation capacity. Their durability is over 500 hours, which was superior to platinum that melts when positioned near the cathode terminal.

Their production costs for the compounds were $6/kw, which is less than 5% that of platinum.  Showa Denko, which is participating in a catalyst development project of
the Japanese government’s agency New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, said it plans to develop mass production technologies for the compounds, for eventual commercialization.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells, or PEFC, generate power of up to 250 kW and operate under temperatures of less than 100 degrees Celsius, and can be used in electric vehicles, cellular gadgets and residential power supply sources.

In comparison, solid oxide fuel cells feature a power output 10 times higher than that of PEFCs, but they operate in 1,000 degrees Celsius environments and are for industrial plants.

ENEOS Celltech, a joint venture of oil refiner Nippon Oil and battery maker Sanyo Electric, launched commercial production of the PEFC cells in April 2009.

Fuel cells are a vital part of Japan’s energy program as the country plans to reduce carbon emissions. 

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