Recent Development of Fuel Cell Core Components and Key Materials: A Review

Abstract

Fuel cells, as key carriers for hydrogen energy development and utilization, provide a vital opportunity to achieve zero-emission energy use and have thus attracted considerable attention from fundamental research to industrial application levels. Considering the current status of fuel cell technology and the industry, this paper presents a systematic elaboration of progress and development trends in fuel cell core components and key materials, such as stacks, bipolar plates, membrane electrodes, proton exchange membranes, catalysts, gas diffusion layers, air compressors, and hydrogen circulation systems. In addition, some proposals for the development of fuel cell vehicles in China are presented, based on the analysis of current supporting policies, standards, and regulations, along with manufacturing costs in China. The fuel cell industry of China is still in the budding stage of development and thus suffers some challenges, such as lagging fundamental systems, imperfect standards and regulations, high product costs, and uncertain technical safety and stability levels. Therefore, to accelerate the development of the hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicle industry, it is an urgent need to establish a complete supporting policy system, accelerate technical breakthroughs, transformations, and applications of key materials and core components, and reduce the cost of hydrogen use.

Activity of Platinum-Based Cathode Electrocatalysts in Oxygen Redaction for Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Influence of the Ionomer Content

“…The implementation success of devices with energy units based on proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) depends on the performance of each of the components of the fuel cell, i.e., catalytic layers, proton-conducting membrane, and gas diffusion layer (GDL) [1][2][3]. The catalytic layers containing platinum nanoparticles (NPs) on a carbon support as well as a proton-conducting ionomer are among the most essential parts that ensure the flow of cell reactions at the cathode and anode of the PEMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA).…”