FUEL CELLS: Reaching the Era of Clean and Efficient Power Generation in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

▪ Abstract This chapter on fuel cells covers the following topics: (a) fundamental electrochemical aspects and performance analysis; (b) technology research and development and demonstrations of fuel cell power sources for power generation, transportation, portable power, and space applications; (c) the role of fuel cells vs competing technologies, and (d) prospects for the applications and commercialization of fuel cell technologies in the twenty-first century. Although the fuel cell was invented in the nineteenth century, the twentieth century has been the period for technology development rather than widespread use. The fuel cell faces a great deal of competition in the proposed applications of power generation, transportation, and portable power. Significant work is still necessary, but intensified research and development activities could lead to the dawn of fuel cell commercialization and widespread use in the early part of the twenty-first century.

Direct Methanol Fuel Cells: History, Status and Perspectives

“…This is mainly due to methanol crossover that causes a mixed potential at the cathode and to the irreversible adsorption of intermediate species at electrode potentials close to the reversible potential [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The coverage of methanolic species is large at high cell potentials, that is, at low anode potentials.…”

Acid–base blend membranes consisting of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) and 5-amino-benzotriazole tethered polysulfone for DMFC

“…The use of liquid methanol as a fuel also makes DMFC appealing as the difficulties encountered with the production, storage, and transportation of gaseous hydrogen fuel can be avoided [3]. However, the commercialization of the DMFC technology is hampered by the high methanol permeability through the currently used Nafion membranes as well as the sluggish methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions.…”

Hydrogen and electricity: Parallels, interactions, and convergence

“…Hydrogen is attractive for both vehicles and distributed generation because of its high conversion efficiency, when coupled with fuel cells. Fuel cell conversion of H 2 to electricity can be very efficient at small scale, compared to more typical internal combustion engine chemical fuel-to-electricity or fuel-to-mechanical work conversions (40-60% vs 20-40%) 1 [3].…”

“…Also, unlike internal combustion engines, fuel cell efficiency is even higher at partial load, which is the typical state of a vehicle power plant, than at maximum power [3]. Improved vehicle efficiency, zero emissions, and the potential to use numerous domestic and renewable resources, makes hydrogen an attractive energy carrier for vehicles.…”

“…Because of their ability to convert hydrogen into electricity, fuel cells combine the benefits of electric drive with a storable gaseous fuel with reasonable energy density that can be dispensed quickly. Using hydrogen as a transportation energy carrier has been widely, but not universally, touted as a key solution for many of the environmental and geopolitical problems associated with burning petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline and diesel [2,3]. Hydrogen FCVs will have zero emissions of criteria pollutants in urban areas, can be significantly more efficient than conventional vehicles, and permit the use of domestic energy and low carbon resources for fuel production.…”