Platinum is scarce and expensive. Tsun-Kong Sham and Ali Feizabadi at Western University describe their cutting edge research that aims to replace much of the platinum. Their cobalt-doped palladium-platinum core-shell solution is much cheaper, yet maintains the performance and durability of the original. That’s why it has the potential to revolutionise fuel cell technology, say the authors.

This system will make its debut for North America in a version of the Honda CR-V—set to be Ohio-built starting in 2024. The hydrogen CR-V follows the Clarity Fuel Cell, which was introduced with the last-generation fuel-cell stack from Honda, in 2017.

The material is actually a ‘dual-ion conductor’, which allows both protons and oxide ions to defuse, and can “realise high total conductivity at lower temperatures and improve the performance of electro-chemical devices”, according to TItech.