Polymer electrolyte fuel cells are known as a clean energy source that does not emit carbon dioxide during power generation, and are being put to practical use in fields such as household use, automobiles, and industrial machinery / construction machinery.On the other hand, platinum, which is an expensive and finite resource, is used for the electrode catalyst of conventional polymer electrolyte fuel cells, and in order for this fuel cell to become more widespread in the future, a catalyst that replaces platinum will be used. Development has been considered indispensable.

　Professor Ozaki of Gunma University has been conducting research since the discovery of carbon materials with electrode catalytic activity in the 1990s, and has been conducting research and development of catalysts using carbon materials in collaboration with Nisshinbo since 2006.The "carbon alloy catalyst," which has been industrialized based on the joint research, does not use platinum, which is a rare resource, and uses a portable fuel cell while using carbon as the main raw material, which can be stably supplied in industrial production. It is said that it has achieved the same power generation performance as a platinum catalyst in the environment.

　The Nisshinbo Group will continue to develop applications for "carbon alloy catalysts" for larger markets, and will contribute to the realization of a hydrogen-based society by expanding the spread of polymer electrolyte fuel cells.Gunma University also wants to expand the scope of application of carbon materials for "creating, storing, and using hydrogen."

　The fuel cell stack that uses the "carbon alloy catalyst" is scheduled to go on sale from Ballard Power Systems Inc. in December 2017.