Researchers have developed new catalysts for fuel cells (FC), whose performances are compared after applying different normalization procedures. However, there is not a standard procedure. The current produced from CO electrooxidation was compared for Pt4Ru5Sn1/C and homemade Pt/C nanoparticles (NPs) normalized by different methods and the use of different methods renders different interpretations. Since the whole field aims to maximize the cost-effectiveness, a complementary method to normalize currents and power in terms of the total cost of the nanocatalyst, the Catalyst-based Cost method (CbC), was proposed. CbC considers the cost of all metals employed to build the catalyst, not only those ones with available surfaces. By applying a simple smoothing method on the prices in a time series, we were able to forecast the prices and consequently the power density of a FC. CbC provides tools for industrials forecast the designing of nanomaterials with improved efficiency and low cost.
Keywords:
fuel cell; catalyst; normalization of current and power; cost of metal; forecasting activity
