Fish Gill-based Electro-catalyst
Scientists at INST have developed a low cost, bio-inspired electro-catalyst from fish gills for use in energy conversion devices.
Electro-catalyst
Catalyst is a compound that alters the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed during the process. An electro-catalyst is a catalyst used to alter the rate of electro-chemical reactions. Traditional electro-catalysts are made of precious materials like platinum and are hence expensive.
About the Fish Gill-based Catalyst
The scientists at INST had developed an electro-catalyst from fish gills for use in oxygen reduction reaction. It has iron, manganese and N-doped porous carbon structure and functions in a variety of pH (acidity/ alkalinity) conditions. The catalyst was used in developing a zinc air battery that can be recharged at home.
Zinc Air Battery
Zinc air battery or ZAB is an example of metal-air battery. It supplies energy derived by the oxidation of zinc by oxygen from air. They are inexpensive and have high energy density. They are used to power a range of devices- hearing aid, camera, electric vehicles, etc.
