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Advanced Technologies in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "D2: Electrochem: Batteries, Fuel Cells, Capacitors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2023) | Viewed by 11363

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. D.S. Falcão

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Guest Editor

Transport Phenomena Research Center (CEFT), Chemical Engineering Department (DEQ), Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto (FEUP), Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: hydrogen; PEM; fuel cells; electrolyzers; URFC; CFD; modeling

Prof. Dr. Alexandra M.F.R. Pinto

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: PEM fuel cells; direct alcohol fuel cells; desalination fuel cells; microbial fuel cells; electrolyzers; hydrogen production and storage
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Dr. Rui Ferreira

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Dear Colleagues,

The Guest Editors are inviting submissions to a Special Issue of Energies on “Advanced Technologies in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers”.

Fuel cells and electrolyzers are promising solutions to deal with the intermittency problems associated with renewable energy sources (RES). Electrolyzers can use surplus renewable electricity to produce hydrogen that can be stored for later use, and fuel cells can use the stored hydrogen to produce electricity when it is needed. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology is particularly interesting for RES due to its great dynamic response and the ability to be operated in a reversible way. Unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFCs) arise from this reversibility, consisting in an electrolyzer and a fuel cell in the same device that can alternatively store or generate energy. URFCs appear as an interesting option in terms of simplicity, round-trip efficiency, and integration into an electricity grid.

This Special Issue will deal with improvements regarding PEM technology, namely at component level, system integration, and modeling and simulation. Topics of interest for publication include but are not limited to:

Catalyst development for PEM fuel cells, electrolyzers, and URFCs;
Developments in bipolar plates, gas diffusion layers, and porous transport layers;
Membrane development;
Performance optimization of PEM fuel cells, electrolyzers, and URFCs;
Durability of PEM fuel cells, electrolyzers, and URFCs;
Modelling and simulation of PEM fuel cells, electrolyzers, and URFCs;
Characterization and diagnosis methods for PEM fuel cells, electrolyzers, and URFCs;
PEM fuel cells, electrolyzers, and URFC system integration.

Dr. D.S. Falcão
Prof. Dr. Alexandra M.F.R. Pinto
Dr. Rui Ferreira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Proton exchange membrane
Electrolyzers
Fuel cells
Unitized regenerative fuel cells
Performance
Hydrogen
Modeling and simulation
Durability
Materials development

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 13574 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Separator Thickness on Temperature Distribution in Single Cell of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Operated at Higher Temperature of 90 °C and 100 °C

by Akira Nishimura, Nozomu Kono, Kyohei Toyoda, Daiki Mishima and Mohan Lal Kolhe

Energies 2022, 15(12), 4203; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15124203 - 07 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1416

Abstract

The New Energy and Industry Technology Development Organization (NEDO) road map (Japan, 2017) has proposed that a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) system, which operates at a temperature of 90 °C and 100 °C, be applied for stationary and mobility usage, respectively. This study suggests using a thin polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) and a thin gas diffusion layer (GDL), at the same time, to achieve better power-generation performance, at a higher temperature than usual. The focus of this paper is to clarify the effect of separator thickness on the distribution of temperature at the reaction surface (T_react), with the relative humidity (RH) of the supply gasses and initial operation temperature (T_ini), quantitatively. In this study, separator thickness is investigated in a system using a thin PEM and a thin GDL. Moreover, this study investigates the difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature obtained from the distribution of T_react as well as the relation between the standard deviation of T_react − T_ini and total voltage, to clarify the effect of separator thickness. The impact of the flow rates of the supply gases on the distribution of T_react is not large, among the investigated conditions. It is noticed that the temperature distribution is wider when a separator thickness of 2.0 mm is selected. On the other hand, it is observed that the temperature increases along with the gas flow through the gas channel, by approximately 2 °C, when using a separator thickness between 1.5 mm and 1.0 mm. The impact of the RH on the distributions of T_react − T_ini is larger at T_ini = 100 °C, when a separator thickness of 1.0 mm is selected. It is revealed that the wider temperature distribution provides a reduction in power-generation performance. This study proposes that the thin separators, i.e., with a thickness of 1.5 mm and 1.0 mm, are not suitable for higher temperature operation than usual. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)

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18 pages, 25212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Implementation of Transition Metal Phosphides as Pt-Free Catalysts for PEM Water Electrolysis

by João Brito, João Restivo, Juliana P. S. Sousa, Natalia C. M. Spera, D. S. Falcão, Amadeu Rocha, A. M. F. R. Pinto, Manuel Fernando R. Pereira and Olívia Salomé G. P. Soares

Energies 2022, 15(5), 1821; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15051821 - 01 Mar 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3232

Abstract

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolysis (WE) produces H₂ with a high degree of purity, requiring only water and energy. If the energy is provided from renewable energy sources, it releases “Green H₂”, a CO₂-free H₂. PEMWE uses expensive and rare noble metal catalysts, which hinder their use at a large industrial scale. In this work, the electrocatalytic properties of Transition Metal Phosphides (TMP) catalysts supported on Carbon Black (CB) for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) were investigated as an alternative to Platinum Group Metals. The physico-chemical properties and catalytic performance of the synthesized catalysts were characterized. In the ex situ experiments, the 25% FeP/CB, 50% FeP/CB and 50% CoP/CB with overpotentials of −156.0, −165.9 and −158.5 mV for a current density of 100 mA cm⁻² showed the best catalytic properties, thereby progressing to the PEMWE tests. In those tests, the 50% FeP/CB required an overpotential of 252 mV for a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², quite close to the 220 mV of the Pt catalyst. This work provides a proper approach to the synthesis and characterization of TMP supported on carbon materials for the HER, paving the way for further research in order to replace the currently used PGM in PEMWE. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)

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33 pages, 7432 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Separator Thickness on Temperature Distribution and Power Generation Characteristics of a Single PEMFC Operated at Higher Temperature of 363 and 373 K

by Akira Nishimura, Yuya Kojima, Syogo Ito and Eric Hu

Energies 2022, 15(4), 1558; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15041558 - 20 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1566

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the separator thickness on not only the heat and mass transfer characteristics, but also the power generation characteristics of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with a thin polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) and thin gas diffusion layer (GDL) operated at higher temperatures of 363 and 373 K. The in-plane temperature distributions on the back of the separator at the anode and cathode, which are the opposite sides to the GDL, are measured using a thermograph at various initial cell temperatures (T_init), relative humidity (RH) levels, and supply gas flow rates. The total voltage corresponding to the load current is measured in order to evaluate the performance of the PEMFC. As a result, it is revealed that the effect of the RH on the power generation characteristics is more significant when the separator thickness decreases. It is revealed that the power generation performance obtained at high current densities decreases with the increase in T_init with thinner separator thicknesses. According to the investigation of the in-plane temperature distribution, it is clarified that the temperature decreases at corner positions in the separator with the separator thickness of 2.0 mm, while the temperature gradually increases along with the gas flow with separator thicknesses of 1.5 mm and 1.0 mm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)

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24 pages, 3690 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulation on Impacts of Thickness of Nafion Series Membranes and Relative Humidity on PEMFC Operated at 363 K and 373 K

by Akira Nishimura, Kyohei Toyoda, Yuya Kojima, Syogo Ito and Eric Hu

Energies 2021, 14(24), 8256; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14248256 - 08 Dec 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1750

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of the thickness of Nafion membrane, which is a typical polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), and relative humidity of supply gas on the distributions of H₂, O₂, H₂O concentration and current density on the interface between a Nafion membrane and anode catalyst layer or the interface between a Nafion membrane and cathode catalyst layer. The effect of the initial temperature of the cell (T_ini) is also investigated by the numerical simulation using the 3D model by COMSOL Multiphysics. As a result, the current density decreases along with the gas flow through the gas channel irrespective of the Nafion membrane thickness and T_ini, which can be explained by the concentration distribution of H₂ and O₂ consumed by electrochemical reaction. The molar concentration of H₂O decreases when the thickness of Nafion membrane increases, irrespective of T_ini and the relative humidity of the supply gas. The current density increases with the increase in relative humidity of the supply gas, irrespective of the Nafion membrane thickness and T_ini. This study recommends that a thinner Nafion membrane with well-humidified supply gas would promote high power generation at the target temperature of 363 K and 373 K. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)

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Review

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48 pages, 6375 KiB

Open AccessReview

Passive Small Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells for Low-Power Portable Applications: Assessment Based on Innovative Increments since 2018

by Maria H. de Sá, Alexandra M. F. R. Pinto and Vânia B. Oliveira

Energies 2022, 15(10), 3787; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15103787 - 21 May 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2306

Abstract

Passive small direct alcohol fuel cells (PS-DAFCs) are compact, standalone devices capable of electrochemically converting the chemical energy in the fuel/alcohol into electricity, with low pollutant emissions and high energy density. Thus, PS-DAFCs are extremely attractive as sustainable/green off-grid low-power sources (milliwatts to watts), considered as alternatives to batteries for small/portable electric and electronic devices. PS-DAFCs benefit from long life operation and low cost, assuring an efficient and stable supply of inherent non-polluting electricity. This review aims to assess innovations on PS-DAFC technology, as well as discuss the challenges and R&D needs covered on practical examples reported in the scientific literature, since 2018. Hence, this compilation intends to be a guidance tool to researchers, in order to help PS-DAFCs overcome the barriers to a broad market introduction and consequently become prime renewable energy converters and autonomous micropower generators. Only by translating research discoveries into the scale-up and commercialization process of the technology can the best balance between the economic and technical issues such as efficiency, reliability, and durability be achieved. In turn, this will certainly play a crucial role in determining how PS-DAFCs can meet pressing sustainable energy needs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)

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