Designing the next generation of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract

With the rapid growth and development of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology there has been an increasing demand for clean and sustainable global energy applications.While there are many device-level and infrastructure challenges still to be overcome before wide commercialization can be realized, increasing the PEMFC power density is a critical technical challenge, with ambitious goals proposed globally. For example, the short-term and long-term goals of the Japan New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) are 6 kW L -1 by 2030 and 9 kW L -1 by 2040, respectively. To this end, we propose technical development directions required for next-generation high power density PEMFCs. This perspective comprehensively embraces the latest advanced ideas for improvements in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and its components, bipolar plate (BP), integrated BP-MEA design, with regard to water and thermal management, and materials. The realization of these ideas is expected to be encompassed in next-generation PEMFCs with the aim of achieving a high power density.

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs): Advances and Challenges

“…The development of novel PEMFCs might help to achieve higher power densities, that is, increasing the power density from the current value of about 4 kW l −1 to the short-term target of 6 kW l −1 in 2030, and to the long-term target of 9 kW l −1 durability by 2040 [410]. In the next decades, PFSA-based polymers with enhanced chemical stability are expected to continue to dominate the PEM scenario, but PBI-based polymers with enhanced proton conductivity are expected to access the PEM market and settle as HT-PEMFCs.…”

Metal-Air Batteries—A Review

“…Nowadays, much concern has been given to global warming resulting from fossil fuels [126,127]. Several methods have been carried out to minimize the reliance on fossil fuels, such as using efficient energy conversion devices such as fuel cells [128][129][130] that are efficient and environmentally friendly [131], improving the efficiency of the current…”

“…Nowadays, much concern has been given to global warming resulting from fossil fuels [126,127]. Several methods have been carried out to minimize the reliance on fossil fuels, such as using efficient energy conversion devices such as fuel cells [128][129][130] that are efficient and environmentally friendly [131], improving the efficiency of the current energy conversion devices and/or using renewable energy sources [132][133][134][135]. Among these different methods, renewable energy sources are the most promising option, as they are sustainable and have no or low environmental impacts [136][137][138][139].…”

Atomic-Scale Design of High-Performance Pt-Based Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

“…The oxidation reaction of fuels at the anode and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode are the reactions involved in fuel cells ( Chen et al, 2019 ; Bian et al, 2020 ). Both anode and cathode reactions need catalysts to lower their electrochemical overpotential for high-voltage output ( Zhou et al, 2016 ; Jiao et al, 2021 ). So far, scarce and expensive Pt-based catalysts are currently the only choice of catalysts in practical fuel cells ( Wei et al, 2018 ; Sievers et al, 2021 ).…”