High temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells: progress in advanced materials and key technologies

Author(s): Rizwan Haider ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Yichan Wen ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Zi-Feng Ma ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , David P. Wilkinson ⁵ ^, ⁶ ^, ⁷ ^, ⁸ , Lei Zhang ⁹ ^, ¹⁰ ^, ⁷ ^, ⁸ , Xianxia Yuan ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Shuqin Song ¹¹ ^, ¹² ^, ¹³ ^, ¹⁴ ^, ⁴ , Jiujun Zhang ⁵ ^, ⁶ ^, ⁷ ^, ⁸ ^, ¹⁵

Publication date (Electronic): 2021

Journal: Chemical Society Reviews

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

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Abstract

This comprehensive review gives a picture about the state-of-the-art progress of HT-PEMFCs, and the challenges, strategies and rules to design, evaluate and promote the performance of HT-PEMFCs.

Abstract

High temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) are one type of promising energy device with the advantages of fast reaction kinetics (high energy efficiency), high tolerance to fuel/air impurities, simple plate design, and better heat and water management. They have been expected to be the next generation of PEMFCs specifically for application in hydrogen-fueled automobile vehicles and combined heat and power (CHP) systems. However, their high-cost and low durability interposed by the insufficient performance of key materials such as electrocatalysts and membranes at high temperature operation are still the challenges hindering the technology's practical applications. To develop high performance HT-PEMFCs, worldwide researchers have been focusing on exploring new materials and the related technologies by developing novel synthesis methods and innovative assembly techniques, understanding degradation mechanisms, and creating mitigation strategies with special emphasis on catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction, proton exchange membranes and bipolar plates. In this paper, the state-of-the-art development of HT-PEMFC key materials, components and device assembly along with degradation mechanisms, mitigation strategies, and HT-PEMFC based CHP systems is comprehensively reviewed. In order to facilitate further research and development of HT-PEMFCs toward practical applications, the existing challenges are also discussed and several future research directions are proposed in this paper.

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Combining theory and experiment in electrocatalysis: Insights into materials design

Zhi Wei Seh, Jakob Kibsgaard, Colin F Dickens … (2017)

Electrocatalysis plays a central role in clean energy conversion, enabling a number of sustainable processes for future technologies. This review discusses design strategies for state-of-the-art heterogeneous electrocatalysts and associated materials for several different electrochemical transformations involving water, hydrogen, and oxygen, using theory as a means to rationalize catalyst performance. By examining the common principles that govern catalysis for different electrochemical reactions, we describe a systematic framework that clarifies trends in catalyzing these reactions, serving as a guide to new catalyst development while highlighting key gaps that need to be addressed. We conclude by extending this framework to emerging clean energy reactions such as hydrogen peroxide production, carbon dioxide reduction, and nitrogen reduction, where the development of improved catalysts could allow for the sustainable production of a broad range of fuels and chemicals.

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Active sites of nitrogen-doped carbon materials for oxygen reduction reaction clarified using model catalysts.

Donghui Guo, Riku Shibuya, Chisato Akiba … (2016)

Nitrogen (N)-doped carbon materials exhibit high electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which is essential for several renewable energy systems. However, the ORR active site (or sites) is unclear, which retards further developments of high-performance catalysts. Here, we characterized the ORR active site by using newly designed graphite (highly oriented pyrolitic graphite) model catalysts with well-defined π conjugation and well-controlled doping of N species. The ORR active site is created by pyridinic N. Carbon dioxide adsorption experiments indicated that pyridinic N also creates Lewis basic sites. The specific activities per pyridinic N in the HOPG model catalysts are comparable with those of N-doped graphene powder catalysts. Thus, the ORR active sites in N-doped carbon materials are carbon atoms with Lewis basicity next to pyridinic N.