CATALYTIC ASPECTS IN FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY.

In the course of the last twenty years, fuel cells have attracted ever-increasing interest starting with space applications to commercialization of various-size units. The phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) is nearest to commercialization, but to improve both efficiency and stability of the cell, and hence to speed up diffusion of this advanced technology, considerable efforts are still needed, especially from the catalytic point of view. This paper has been principally addressed to the synthesis of evaluation of platinum alloy electrocatalysts supported on carbon, in order to relate their geometrical-electronic properties with inherent electrocatalytic activity. Although in an initial stage, the work has already opened up new areas of investigation that show very promising prospects for future developments.