Better than platinum? Fuel cells energized by enzymes.

D ihydrogen (H2) gas has the potential to be a limitless source of clean energy if simple and efficient methods of production and utilization can be developed. In that regard, using H2 to store electrical energy by means of an electrochemical cell and returning that energy by means of a fuel cell would be among the cleanest and most efficient energy methodologies. This electrochemical apparatus needs to employ robust catalysts for proton reduction and dihydrogen oxidation. In a nonbiological setting, these processes are most readily accomplished at a platinum electrode. Unfortunately, platinum is resource-limited, expensive, and irreversibly inactivated by common trace impurities in H2 gas, such as H2S and CO.