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Fuel Cell Nanocatalysts Made of Cobalt Derivatives Equal Platinum in Oxygen-Reduction Reaction and Resist Poisoning. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) limits the efficiency of fuel cells, and thus it is of great interest to manufacturers to discover nanocatalysts with an ORR activity superior to that of platinum (Pt).

Fuel Cell Nanocatalysts Made of Cobalt Derivatives Equal Platinum in Oxygen-Reduction Reaction and Resist Poisoning

Panasonic Corporation (Osaka, JP) garnered U.S. Patent 7,695,850 for nano-scale cobalt catalysts for use in electrodes that are applicable to air cells, fuel cells, sugar biofuel cells, electrochemical sensors and like electrochemical devices. According to inventors Tadashi Sotomura, Mitsuru Hashimoto and Yuka Yamada, derivatives of cobalt phthalocyanine and cobalt tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine can used as catalysts which provide very stable oxygen-reducing electrodes. The catalysts achieve electrochemical reduction of oxygen that is equal to platinum but are more resistant to poisoning from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

The oxygen-reducing electrode contains CoPyrz(CF3)8 as a catalytic component. Search International and National Patent Collections. NIST. Free Patent.