Jello-making protein could help make cheap fuel cells

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New research shows that a catalyst made using gelatin, the same protein used to make jiggly desserts, helps fuel cells be more efficient. This may offer a cheap alternative to fuel cells that require precious metal catalysts.

In a fuel cell, energy released from a chemical reaction (most commonly hydrogen and oxygen combining to form water) is diverted and used to generate electricity. Many carmakers are looking to test a commercially viable fuel cell. If their tests are successful, cars of the future will spit out only water, without the carbon dioxide and other pollutants that today’s fossil fuel powered cars emit.

Researchers from the UK, Japan, and China, led by Zoe Schnepp at the University of Birmingham, reported their new catalyst in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. To make the catalyst, they mixed salts of magnesium and iron with gelatin to create a foam. Heating this foam to 800°C triggers a process called calcination, which degrades the gelatin and oxidizes the metals. This results in a sponge that contains metal nanoparticles (which are a million times smaller than a human hair) embedded in a porous structure made of carbon. Any remaining metal is washed off with acid.