Safe space: Improving 'clean' methanol fuel cells using a protective carbon shell: Scientists encapsulate catalyst in a protective molecular sieve that selectively prevents undesired reactions in methanol fuel cells

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), which produce electricity using methanol, will be an alternative solution in the transition away from fossil fuels and toward a 'hydrogen' economy. However, undesired methanol oxidation on the cathode side in DMFCs degrades the essential platinum catalyst, causing performance and stability problems. Now, scientists from Korea have found a simple method to coat platinum nanoparticles with a protective carbon shell. This selectively excludes methanol from reaching the catalyst's core on the cathode, solving a long-standing problem in DMFCs.