New electrodeposition process creates improved fuel cells, batteries, & sensors.(Brief Article)

Taking advantage of an electrochemical phenomenon that had previously been considered a nuisance, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new class of three-dimensional nanoporous electrodes that could boost the performance of fuel cells.

By generating hydrogen bubbles during the deposition of copper, tin, or a copper-tin alloy onto a copper substrate, the researchers create self-supported metallic foam electrodes that contain a complex network of interconnected pores. Because the bubbles expand as they move away from the substrate, they create passageways through the deposited metal that become wider the closer they get to the outside of the electrode.

The tapered passageways should allow gases and fluids to move more easily through these "functionally-graded" electrodes, boosting the performance of solid-oxide fuel cells, lithium batteries, and chemical sensors. The nanoporous nature of the structures provides a large surface area on which electrochemical reactions can take place.

"By adjusting ...