Enhancing the Efficiency of Fuel Cells with Caffeine

[toucana]

Researchers in the Graduate school of Engineering at Chiba University Japan have discovered that adding caffeine to specific platinum electrodes can enhance the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells.

https://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=62709#:~:text=Despite%20their%20promise%2C%20fuel%20cells,platinum%20electrodes%20by%2011%20times.

Their study which was published in Communications Chemistry on February 3rd, 2024 claims that

Quote

Caffeine, one of the chemicals contained in coffee, enhances the activity of a fuel cell reaction 11-fold on a well-defined Pt electrode, of which atomic arrangement has a hexagonal structure.

Professor Nagahiro Hoshi, along with colleagues Masashi Nakamura, Ryuta Kubo, and Rui Suzuki conducted their experiments by submerging platinum electrodes of varying types in a caffeine-containing electrolyte. They discovered that caffeine increases the ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) activity by up to 11 times with Pt(111), and by 2.5 times, with Pt(110) at a molar concentration of 1 × 10^−6 . This can potentially increase fuel cell efficiency, and decrease the need for extra platinum catalysts.

The really intriguing question is however, what prompted this line of research ? Did someone accidentally drop an extra strong cup of コーヒー  or kawa in the electrolyte one morning ?

[Phi for All]

1 hour ago, toucana said:

The really intriguing question is however, what prompted this line of research ? Did someone accidentally drop an extra strong cup of コーヒー  or kawa in the electrolyte one morning ?

This had to be it. "I didn't spill coffee on the electrode, I applied a caffeine/sugar solution in the hopes of increasing fuel cell efficiency!"