A rollable ultra-light polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Abstract

We have developed a highly flexible, ultra-light and thin polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell that can be used as a portable power source for flexible electronics. To achieve such flexibility and ultra-lightness, we fabricated a thin flow-field plate using a thermal imprinting process and combined it with a laser-machined metal current collector. The air-breathing fuel cell, with a thickness of 0.992 mm and a weight of 2.23 g, demonstrated a total power of 508 mW and a performance degradation of o10% after severe bending fatigue (200 repeated bends). This high power per weight (0.228 W g − 1 ) and robust bending durability have never been observed before. The highly flexible architecture enabled the operation of the fuel cell in an S-shape or even in a rolled-up state without any significant performance loss. We have fabricated a cylindrical planar stack of 10 fuel cells and successfully carried out its outdoor operation to demonstrate its practical applications in various fields.

Non‐destructive platinum catalyst‐replenishment method for deteriorated polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

“…The same composition of ink has been used elsewhere. 33,34 The mixed elements were sonicated for 60 min. Only one ink was prepared for each cell; for example, the ink for Cell 2 is diluted with each cycle (some of the solid components are deposited on the membrane or GDL) and recycled for subsequent cycles.…”

Effects of Ag Current Collecting Layer Fabricated by Sputter for 3D-Printed Polymer Bipolar Plate of Ultra-Light Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

“…Among the various types of fuel cells, PEMFCs are considered as especially promising power generation devices for mobile applications such as cars, drones, and ships because of high performance, low operating temperatures, no pollutants, short start up/shut down, etc. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Therefore, PEMFCs have been widely adopted in power sources of fuel cell electric vehicles (e.g., NEXO by Hyundai motors; Mirai, Toyota motors).…”

“…Therefore, PEMFCs have been widely adopted in power sources of fuel cell electric vehicles (e.g., NEXO by Hyundai motors; Mirai, Toyota motors). In addition, PEM-FCs have been studied when used as portable power sources because of their relatively higher power densities, low operating temperatures, and ease of handling [1][2][3]7,11]. The bipolar plates of PEMFCs are one of the most critical parts.…”

“…Therefore, a number of studies have been carried out that replace stainless steel bipolar plates despite their relatively superior electronic conductivity and higher density. New materials and fabrication processes such as titanium, polymer (polycarbonate and polydimethylsiloxane), and carbon-based materials (graphite) have been applied and investigated to prepare bipolar plates of the light weight required for PEMFCs [2,3,[5][6][7]12,13]. Ji et al manufactured graphite foil-based assembled bipolar plates for PEMFCs [6].…”

Guided cracking of electrodes by stretching prism-patterned membrane electrode assemblies for high-performance fuel cells

“…Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have received significant attention over the past several decades as future clean energy devices because they do not emit pollutants and they provide high energy conversion efficiencies 1 – 7 . Although many technological advances have been achieved in the research field of PEMFCs, some practical issues still hinder their commercialization.…”