Dear Colleagues,

The world transition to a decarbonized energy system is underway. The Paris agreement, signed during the UN COP21, was meant to limit temperature increases of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. This transition will radically transform how states generate, distribute, store, and consume energy. It demands virtually carbon-free power generation, increased energy efficiency, and the deep decarbonization of transport, buildings, and industry. To achieve this energy transition, hydrogen will be required on a large scale. Hydrogen fuel offers a versatile, clean, and flexible energy vector for this transition. In this sense, the fuel cell value chain can lead to the development and deployment of hydrogen solutions. In the automotive space, as well as in stationary fuel cell applications, domestic technology is readily available. Within the fuel cell technology industry, air cooled polymer electrolyte fuel cells (AC-PEFC) have received special attention due to their ability to integrate oxidant and cooling subsystems into one, which in turn allows for fuel cells with reduced weight, volume, cost, and control complexity.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to highlight the most insightful and influential investigations and theories, those that will form the foundation of the next year’s technological challenges in AC-PEFCs. We would like to include articles that show recent developments in the field of design, modeling and validation, Balance of Plant (BoP) proposals, and practical applications of AC-PEFCs.

There are no subject area restrictions for this Special Issue. Energies readers and authors are encouraged to submit their best work to be showcased. The key criteria for manuscript acceptance will be novelty. Manuscripts describing experimental results and empirical proofs are also encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Francisca Segura
Dr. Francisco J. Vivas Fernández
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.

• air cooled open-cathode polymer electrolyte fuel cells
• BoP configurations
• oxidant/cooling subsystem design
• thermal management
• development of new materials for MEAs, flow channels, electrodes
• experimental studies of AC-PEFCs in low, medium, and high power
• performance improvement of AC-PEFC
• electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
• electrothermal performance mapping
• comparison between liquid cooled and air cooled PEFCs
• AC-PEFCs applications: transport, stationary, and micro-CHP
• AC-PEFC market and industry reviews
• AC-PEFC challenges in the next years