Research Progress, Trends, and Current State of Development on PEMFC-New Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis and Characteristics of Two Decades of Research Output

Abstract

The consumption of hydrogen could increase by sixfold in 2050 compared to 2020 levels, reaching about 530 Mt. Against this backdrop, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has been a major research area in the field of energy engineering. Several reviews have been provided in the existing corpus of literature on PEMFC, but questions related to their evolutionary nuances and research hotspots remain largely unanswered. To fill this gap, the current review uses bibliometric analysis to analyze PEMFC articles indexed in the Scopus database that were published between 2000–2021. It has been revealed that the research field is growing at an annual average growth rate of 19.35%, with publications from 2016 to 2012 alone making up 46% of the total articles available since 2000. As the two most energy-consuming economies in the world, the contributions made towards the progress of PEMFC research have largely been from China and the US. From the research trend found in this investigation, it is clear that the focus of the researchers in the field has largely been to improve the performance and efficiency of PEMFC and its components, which is evident from dominating keywords or phrases such as ‘oxygen reduction reaction’, ‘electrocatalysis’, ‘proton exchange membrane’, ‘gas diffusion layer’, ‘water management’, ‘polybenzimidazole’, ‘durability’, and ‘bipolar plate’. We anticipate that the provision of the research themes that have emerged in the PEMFC field in the last two decades from the scientific mapping technique will guide existing and prospective researchers in the field going forward.

Morphology of Thin-Film Nafion on Carbon as an Analogue of Fuel Cell Catalyst Layers

“…In the push to decarbonize the global energy infrastructure, proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have a promising role in applications requiring high gravimetric power density. , PEMFCs convert chemical energy from hydrogen gas into electrical energy, producing only minimal greenhouse gas byproducts. Unfortunately, currently available PEMFCs are plagued by low durability, low performance, and high cost, preventing widespread adoption of the technology. − …”

Current status of research on composite bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs): nanofillers and structure optimization

“…17 As a result of all of the above, PEMFC has come a long way in the past and is still attracting a high level of interest. [18][19][20] However, due to shortcomings such as high cost and low durability, [21][22][23] its practicalization is still slow. Therefore, reducing the cost and increasing the usefulness of PEMFC components is a problem that needs to be solved today.…”

Enhancing Water Absorption in Sulfonated Poly(arylene ether sulfone) Polymer Electrolyte Membranes by Reducing Chain Entanglement through Constrained Deswelling

“…Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM)-based electrochemical cells for water electrolysis and fuel cells are exposed to aqueous environments and humid atmospheres. − In both water electrolysis and fuel cells, liquid or vapor water serves as both source and product, while also being imbibed by the PEM, thereby facilitating the transport of protons, hydroxide, and other species involved in the electrochemical reactions. − However, this absorbed water leads to areal expansion of the PEM, which can adversely impact the physical stability of the membrane, electrodes, and membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) interfaces. − Hence, it is essential to control water uptake and maintain the dimensional stability of the PEM when exposed to water for optimal cell performance and durability.…”