An unprecedented real-time view of the transformation of a promising catalyst material during operation has been captured by Cornell University researchers, according to a study published in Nature Catalysis. These findings could lead to the replacement of costly precious metals in clean-energy technologies.
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Fuel cells efficiently convert hydrogen and oxygen straight into electricity, with catalysts playing an important role in speeding up the process. Platinum has long been the ideal catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction because of its efficiency and longevity, but its expensive cost prevents widespread use.
Materials scientist Andrej Singer and chemist Héctor Abruña led a research team that investigated a cost-effective alternative: a cobalt-manganese oxide catalyst.
The researchers employed advanced X-ray techniques at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source to see the catalyst in action. The findings indicated an unexpected structural stability, implying that it has the potential to be a cheaper alternative to platinum.
These cobalt-manganese oxides can accommodate surprisingly large strains during operation. Many other materials would permanently deform or degrade.
Andrej Singer, Materials Scientist, Cornell University
The study also discovered a significant limitation: while the material can recover from modest, quick voltage fluctuations, extended exposure causes an irreversible structural transformation. The discovery, along with additional modeling, is helping researchers better characterize the material’s potential degradation points.
Singer added, “The current model for electrochemical surface reactions fails to explain our in situ data – there’s clearly a more complex mechanism at play. Future research may clarify these mechanisms and inform the development of high-performance catalyst materials.”
The study brought together chemists, physicists, and materials scientists as part of a larger collaboration at Cornell. Abruña, the Emile M. Chamot Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), has been researching catalyst alternatives to platinum as the Center for Alkaline-based Energy Solutions director.
These findings are providing valuable insights that we feel will enable the broad deployment of these technologies. This work also illustrates the collaborative and synergistic research environment and culture at Cornell, and serves as an example of research coming full circle.
Héctor Abruña, Chemist, Cornell University
Yao Yang, Ph.D. ’21, co-author of the study and currently an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (A&S), first explored the cobalt-manganese oxides as a doctoral student in Abruña’s group. Tomás Arias, professor of physics (A&S), also co-authored the study, illustrating the interdisciplinary approach to the effort.
Building on these findings, the researchers intend to investigate different bimetallic oxide systems and broaden their X-ray techniques to analyze a wider range of electrocatalytic materials.
The Center for Alkaline-based Energy Solutions, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the United States Department of Energy, assisted in the study. The experiments were conducted at the Center for High-Energy X-ray Sciences at CHESS, funded by the National Science Foundation.
Journal Reference:
Huang, J. J. et. al. (2025) RMultimodal in situ X-ray mechanistic studies of a bimetallic oxide electrocatalyst in alkaline media. Nature Catalysis. doi.org/10.1038/s41929-025-01289-7