Overcoming the Electrode Challenges of High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Quentin Meyer; Chujie Yang; Yi Cheng; Chuan Zhao

doi:10.1007/s41918-023-00180-y

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2023, Vol. 6 ›› Issue (1) DOI: 10.1007/s41918-023-00180-y

Review Article

Overcoming the Electrode Challenges of High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

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¹School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, 2052, Sydney, NSW, Australia

²Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Value-Added Metallurgy, Central South University, 410083, Changsha, Hunan, China

^c yi.cheng@csu.edu.cn

^d chuan.zhao@unsw.edu.au

Quentin Meyer

received his Ph.D. degree from University College London (UCL) (2015). He joined Prof. Zhao’s group at UNSW (Sydney, Australia) in 2018 working on hydrogen fuel cells. His research interests include low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell, from non-precious metal catalysts and catalyst layer challenges to systems design and prototyping. He is also an expert on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for energy devices. He was awarded the Young Electrochemist Award in Australia New Zealand in 2021.

Chujie Yang

received his BS degree in Environmental Engineering and Technology from the Yangzhou University in 2020. He is pursuing a master degree under the supervision of Prof. Yi Cheng at Central South University. His scientific interests focus on the design and synthesis of intermetallic electrocatalysts with high activity and long-term stability for oxygen reduction reaction as well as PEMFCs.

Yi Cheng

is a professor at Central South University. He received his Ph.D. degree from Curtin University, Australia, in 2015. Following his graduate studies, he began working as a postdoctoral fellow at Curtin University, Australia, from 2015 to 2018. He then worked as a professor at School of Metallurgy and Environment of Central South University. His research interests include developing novel materials for low-temperature and high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells, chemical energy storage by water electrolysis and carbon dioxide reduction.

Chuan Zhao

received his Ph.D. degree from Northwest University (2002). He completed postdoctoral research at the University of Oldenburg and Monash University before starting his independent career at UNSW in 2010. He was awarded an Australian Research Fellow in 2011 and a Future Fellowship in 2017. He chairs the Electrochemistry Division of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) and is elected Fellow of the RACI and Royal Society of Chemistry. His research focuses on developing electrochemical technologies for energy storage and conversion.

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Abstract

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are becoming a major part of a greener and more sustainable future. However, the costs of high-purity hydrogen and noble metal catalysts alongside the complexity of the PEMFC system severely hamper their commercialization. Operating PEMFCs at high temperatures (HT-PEMFCs, above 120 °C) brings several advantages, such as increased tolerance to contaminants, more affordable catalysts, and operations without liquid water, hence considerably simplifying the system. While recent progresses in proton exchange membranes for HT-PEMFCs have made this technology more viable, the HT-PEMFC viscous acid electrolyte lowers the active site utilization by unevenly diffusing into the catalyst layer while it acutely poisons the catalytic sites. In recent years, the synthesis of platinum group metal (PGM) and PGM-free catalysts with higher acid tolerance and phosphate-promoted oxygen reduction reaction, in conjunction with the design of catalyst layers with improved acid distribution and more triple-phase boundaries, has provided great opportunities for more efficient HT-PEMFCs. The progress in these two interconnected fields is reviewed here, with recommendations for the most promising routes worthy of further investigation. Using these approaches, the performance and durability of HT-PEMFCs will be significantly improved.

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Quentin Meyer, Chujie Yang, Yi Cheng, Chuan Zhao. Overcoming the Electrode Challenges of High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2023, 6(1): DOI:10.1007/s41918-023-00180-y