# IMDEA Materials catalyst matches platinum ORR performance with 75% less metal

_Sunday, August 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM EDT · Science, Infrastructure · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

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Researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute report a copper-platinum catalyst that matches pure platinum performance on the oxygen reduction reaction while using 75% less platinum, according to phys.org coverage of a study in Electrochimica Acta.

The team deposited a Cu3Pt alloy on a nickel-titanium shape-memory substrate and applied mechanical compression of less than 1%, altering the catalyst's electronic structure. In acidic tests near pH 1, the compressed catalyst reached 855 millivolts at 1 mA/cm2, nearly matching pure platinum at 856 millivolts. Stretching the alloy by 0.80% reduced performance.

Lead author Jorge Redondo said elastic strain engineering can cut platinum use by three-quarters while keeping comparable catalytic performance. The process also leaves a thin platinum-enriched surface layer a few nanometers thick after selective copper dissolution. The authors say industrial-scale manufacture and long-term stability of the compression effect still need to be shown.

## Sources

- [phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-08-catalyst-platinum-hydrogen-fuel-cells.html)

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