Noble metal-free catalyst system as active as platinum

Noble metal-free catalyst system as active as platinum: Industry uses platinum alloys as catalysts for oxygen reduction, essential in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, among other applications. Expensive and rare, that metal imposes tight restrictions on manufacture. Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung have discovered a five-element alloy that is noble metal-free and as active as platinum. Their findings are published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.