Biological preparation of platinum electrocatalysts for fuel cell

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K14197
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Metal making/Resorce production engineering
• Research Institution: Osaka Prefecture University
• Principal Investigator: Konishi Yasuhiro 大阪府立大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (90167403)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 白金触媒 / 燃料電池 / バイオミネラリゼーション / 金属イオン還元細菌 / リサイクル / 白金族金属 / 循環・再利用

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Platinum nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by biomineralization using the metal ion-reducing bacterium Shewanella algae. Resting cells of S. algae were able to reduced soluble platinum(IV) to insoluble platinum(0) at room temperature and neutral pH within 90 min when formate was provided as the electron donor. Biogenic platinum nanoparticles of 2-4 nm in size were deposited in the bacterial periplasm.
The biogenic platinum(0) nanoparticles were released from bacterial cells into aqueous solution by ultrasonic treatment of bacterial suspension with addition of sodium hydroxide. The carbon-supported biogenic platinum(0) nanoparticles were tested as an anode catalyst in a fuel cell for power production. The maximum power generation of the biogenic platinum(0)/carbon catalyst was 1.7 times higher than that of a commercial platinum(0)/carbon catalyst for chemical synthesis.

Free Research Field

化学工学