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Membranes
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Advanced Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Applications in Fuel Cell...
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Advanced Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Applications in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Based Systems

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2023) | Viewed by 20749

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giuseppe De Lorenzo

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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, Arcavacata, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
Interests: fuel cells; batteries; electrolyzers; hydrogen production; polygenerative systems; green mobility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Irene Gatto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CNR Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies “Nicola Giordano”, ITAE, Messina, Italy
Interests: polymer electrolytes fuel cells; components development; electrochemistry; electrocatalysis; ionomers; fuel cells; polymer electrolytes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ada Saccà

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CNR Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies “Nicola Giordano”, ITAE, Messina, Italy
Interests: polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs); polymer membranes; inorganic compounds; PEFCs components development; membranes’ chemical–physical characterization; electrochemistry; fuel cells
Dr. Alessandra Carbone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CNR Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies “Nicola Giordano”, ITAE, Messina, Italy
Interests: polymers; functional groups; composites; ion conductivity; fuel cells; polymer electrolytes; anionic membranes; protonic membranes; alkaline electrolyzers; PEFC; AMFC
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Alfredo Aloise

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Catalysis and Industrial Chemistry, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
Interests: catalysis; zeolites; industrial chemistry; materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells and electrolyzers offer efficient hydrogen and electric energy productions for emission-free transport and sustainable energy systems.

The core of PEM electrochemical cells (PEMECs) is the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) consisting of a solid-state proton or anion conductive polymer electrolyte sandwiched between two porous, electronically conductive, and catalytically active electrodes. The solid electrolyte ensures the conduction of protonic or anionic charge carriers (hydrated H3O+/free H+ ions or OH- ions) between the electrodes, and it is electronically insulating.

Each of the electrodes comprises a catalyst layer (CL), where electrocatalysts are dispersed on a nanoporous support to promote charge transfer kinetics by lowering the activation energy. Next comes the more openly porous transport layer (PTL), also acting as a current collector alone or with the help of additional metallic meshes or sinters. The MEA is encased in gas manifold bipolar plates (BPPs) on each side, which direct and distribute gases in flow channels and connect the positive electrode electronically to the negative electrode of the adjacent cell in the case of a PEMEC stack.

When PEMECs are operated in fuel cell (PEMFC) mode, humidified hydrogen gas is supplied to the negative electrode, where it oxidizes to protons or water vapor and electrons.

The protons migrate to the positive electrode through the electrolyte and react with oxygen to produce water vapor or at the positive electrode oxygen, and water vapor produces anions, which migrate to the negative electrode through the electrolyte, while the electrons travel through the external circuit and deliver electrical work. In electrolyzer (PEME) mode, the current and all processes are reversed.

This Special Issue will focus on the collection of the latest developments in PEMFC and PEME components or element or stack, including all recent approaches used to enhance their performance characteristics and technological applications.

Dr. Giuseppe De Lorenzo
Dr. Irene Gatto
Dr. Ada Saccà
Dr. Alessandra Carbone
Dr. Alfredo Aloise
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. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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 fuel cells, PEMFC
  • Anion exchange membrane fuel cells, AEMFC
  • Proton exchange membrane electrolyzers, PEME
  • Anion exchange membrane electrolyzers, AEME
  • PEMFC applications
  • AEMFC applications
  • PEME applications
  • AEME applications

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 7395 KiB  
Article
Proton Conductivity Enhancement at High Temperature on Polybenzimidazole Membrane Electrolyte with Acid-Functionalized Graphene Oxide Fillers
by Raja Rafidah Raja Sulaiman, Rashmi Walvekar, Wai Yin Wong, Mohammad Khalid and Ming Meng Pang
Membranes 2022, 12(3), 344; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12030344 - 19 Mar 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3199
Abstract
Graphene oxide (GO) and its acid-functionalized form are known to be effective in enhancing the proton transport properties of phosphoric-acid doped polybenzimidazole (PA-doped PBI) membranes utilized in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HTPEMFC) owing to the presence of proton-conducting functional groups. This [...] Read more.
Graphene oxide (GO) and its acid-functionalized form are known to be effective in enhancing the proton transport properties of phosphoric-acid doped polybenzimidazole (PA-doped PBI) membranes utilized in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HTPEMFC) owing to the presence of proton-conducting functional groups. This work aims to provide a comparison between the different effects of GO with the sulfonated GO (SGO) and phosphonated GO (PGO) on the properties of PA-doped PBI, with emphasis given on proton conductivity to understand which functional groups are suitable for proton transfer under high temperature and anhydrous conditions. Each filler was synthesized following existing methods and introduced into PBI at loadings of 0.25, 0.5, and 1 wt.%. Characterizations were carried out on the overall thermal stability, acid doping level (ADL), dimensional swelling, and proton conductivity. SGO and PGO-containing PBI exhibit better conductivity than those with GO at 180 °C under anhydrous conditions, despite a slight reduction in ADL. PBI with 0.5 wt.% SGO exhibits the highest conductivity at 23.8 mS/cm, followed by PBI with 0.5 wt.% PGO at 19.6 mS/cm. However, the membrane with PGO required a smaller activation energy for proton conduction, thus less energy was needed to initiate fast proton transfer. Additionally, the PGO-containing membrane also displayed an advantage in its thermal stability aspect. Therefore, considering these properties, it is shown that PGO is a potential filler for improving PBI properties for HTPEMFC applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Applications in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Based Systems)
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17 pages, 2922 KiB  
Article
Cobalt-Doped Carbon Nitride Frameworks Obtained from Calcined Aromatic Polyimines as Cathode Catalyst of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
by Tar-Hwa Hsieh, Sin-Nan Chen, Yen-Zen Wang, Ko-Shan Ho, Jung-Kuan Chuang and Lin-Chia Ho
Membranes 2022, 12(1), 74; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12010074 - 06 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1799
Abstract
Cobalt-doped carbon nitride frameworks (CoNC) were prepared from the calcination of Co-chelated aromatic polyimines (APIM) synthesized from stepwise polymerization of p-phenylene diamine (PDA) and o-phthalaldehyde (OPAl) via Schiff base reactions in the presence of cobalt (II) chloride. The Co-chelated APIM (Co-APIM) precursor converted [...] Read more.
Cobalt-doped carbon nitride frameworks (CoNC) were prepared from the calcination of Co-chelated aromatic polyimines (APIM) synthesized from stepwise polymerization of p-phenylene diamine (PDA) and o-phthalaldehyde (OPAl) via Schiff base reactions in the presence of cobalt (II) chloride. The Co-chelated APIM (Co-APIM) precursor converted to CoNC after calcination in two-step heating with the second step performed at 100 °C lower than the first one. The CoNCs demonstrated that its Co, N-co-doped carbonaceous framework contained both graphene and carbon nanotube, as characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern, Raman spectra, and TEM micropictures. CoNCs also revealed a significant ORR peak in the current–voltage polarization cycle and a higher O2 reduction current than that of commercial Pt/C in a linear scanning voltage test in O2-saturated KOH(aq). The calculated e-transferred number even reaches 3.94 in KOH(aq) for the CoNC1000A900 cathode catalyst, which has the highest BET surface area of 393.94 m2 g−1. Single cells of anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) are fabricated using different CoNCs as the cathode catalysts, and CoNC1000A900 demonstrates a peak power density of 374.3 compared to the 334.7 mW cm−2 obtained from the single cell using Pt/C as the cathode catalyst. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Applications in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Based Systems)
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12 pages, 2084 KiB  
Article
Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements of Ionomer Film Oxygen Transport Resistivity in Operating Low-Pt PEM Fuel Cell
by Tatyana V. Reshetenko and Andrei Kulikovsky
Membranes 2021, 11(12), 985; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes11120985 - 16 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2908
Abstract
The work presents a model for local impedance of low-Pt proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), including cathode pore size distribution and O2 transport along pores and through a thin ionomer film covering Pt/C agglomerates. The model was applied to fit the [...] Read more.
The work presents a model for local impedance of low-Pt proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), including cathode pore size distribution and O2 transport along pores and through a thin ionomer film covering Pt/C agglomerates. The model was applied to fit the local impedance spectra of low-Pt fuel cells operated at current densities from 100 to 800 mA cm−2 and recorded by a segmented cell system. Assuming an ionomer film thickness of 10 nm, the fitting returned the product of the dimensionless Henry’s constant of oxygen dissolution in ionomer KH by the oxygen diffusivity DN in the ionomer (KHDN). This parameter allowed us to determine the fundamental O2 transport resistivity RN through the ionomer film in the working electrode under conditions relevant to the realistic operation of PEMFCs. The results show that variation of the operating current density does not affect RN, which remains nearly constant at ≃0.4 s cm−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Applications in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Based Systems)
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18 pages, 2317 KiB  
Article
Design Strategies for Alkaline Exchange Membrane–Electrode Assemblies: Optimization for Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers
by Aviv Ashdot, Mordechai Kattan, Anna Kitayev, Ervin Tal-Gutelmacher, Alina Amel and Miles Page
Membranes 2021, 11(9), 686; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes11090686 - 03 Sep 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5324
Abstract
Production of hydrocarbon-based, alkaline exchange, membrane–electrode assemblies (MEA’s) for fuel cells and electrolyzers is examined via catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) and gas-diffusion electrode (GDE) fabrication routes. The inability effectively to hot-press hydrocarbon-based ion-exchange polymers (ionomers) risks performance limitations due to poor interfacial contact, especially [...] Read more.
Production of hydrocarbon-based, alkaline exchange, membrane–electrode assemblies (MEA’s) for fuel cells and electrolyzers is examined via catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) and gas-diffusion electrode (GDE) fabrication routes. The inability effectively to hot-press hydrocarbon-based ion-exchange polymers (ionomers) risks performance limitations due to poor interfacial contact, especially between GDE and membrane. The addition of an ionomeric interlayer is shown greatly to improve the intimacy of contact between GDE and membrane, as determined by ex situ through-plane MEA impedance measurements, indicated by a strong decrease in the frequency of the high-frequency zero phase angle of the complex impedance, and confirmed in situ with device performance tests. The best interfacial contact is achieved with CCM’s, with the contact impedance decreasing, and device performance increasing, in the order GDE >> GDE+Interlayer > CCM. The GDE+interlayer fabrication approach is further examined with respect to hydrogen crossover and alkaline membrane electrolyzer cell performance. An interlayer strongly reduces the rate of hydrogen crossover without strongly decreasing electrolyzer performance, while crosslinking the ionomeric layer further reduces the crossover rate though also limiting device performance. The approach can be applied and built upon to improve the design and production of alkaline, and more generally, hydrocarbon-based MEA’s and exchange membrane devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Applications in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Based Systems)
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18 pages, 6520 KiB  
Article
Effect of the Agglomerate Geometry on the Effective Electrical Conductivity of a Porous Electrode
by Abimael Rodriguez, Roger Pool, Jaime Ortegon, Beatriz Escobar and Romeli Barbosa
Membranes 2021, 11(5), 357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes11050357 - 14 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2653
Abstract
The study of the microstructure of random heterogeneous materials, related to an electrochemical device, is relevant because their effective macroscopic properties, e.g., electrical or proton conductivity, are a function of their effective transport coefficients (ETC). The magnitude of ETC depends on the distribution [...] Read more.
The study of the microstructure of random heterogeneous materials, related to an electrochemical device, is relevant because their effective macroscopic properties, e.g., electrical or proton conductivity, are a function of their effective transport coefficients (ETC). The magnitude of ETC depends on the distribution and properties of the material phase. In this work, an algorithm is developed to generate stochastic two-phase (binary) image configurations with multiple geometries and polydispersed particle sizes. The recognizable geometry in the images is represented by the white phase dispersed and characterized by statistical descriptors (two-point and line-path correlation functions). Percolation is obtained for the geometries by identifying an infinite cluster to guarantee the connection between the edges of the microstructures. Finally, the finite volume method is used to determine the ETC. Agglomerate phase results show that the geometry with the highest local current distribution is the triangular geometry. In the matrix phase, the most significant results are obtained by circular geometry, while the lowest is obtained by the 3-sided polygon. The proposed methodology allows to establish criteria based on percolation and surface fraction to assure effective electrical conduction according to their geometric distribution; results provide an insight for the microstructure development with high projection to be used to improve the electrode of a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Applications in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Based Systems)
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Review

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22 pages, 7638 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Transition Metal Tellurides (TMTs) and Phosphides (TMPs) for Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis
by Syed Shoaib Ahmad Shah, Naseem Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Imran, Muhammad Rashid, Muhammad Khurram Tufail, Aziz ur Rehman, Georgia Balkourani, Manzar Sohail, Tayyaba Najam and Panagiotis Tsiakaras
Membranes 2023, 13(1), 113; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes13010113 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2530
Abstract
The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a developing and promising technology to deliver clean energy using renewable sources. Presently, electrocatalytic water (H2O) splitting is one of the low-cost, affordable, and reliable industrial-scale effective hydrogen (H2) production methods. Nevertheless, the [...] Read more.
The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a developing and promising technology to deliver clean energy using renewable sources. Presently, electrocatalytic water (H2O) splitting is one of the low-cost, affordable, and reliable industrial-scale effective hydrogen (H2) production methods. Nevertheless, the most active platinum (Pt) metal-based catalysts for the HER are subject to high cost and substandard stability. Therefore, a highly efficient, low-cost, and stable HER electrocatalyst is urgently desired to substitute Pt-based catalysts. Due to their low cost, outstanding stability, low overpotential, strong electronic interactions, excellent conductivity, more active sites, and abundance, transition metal tellurides (TMTs) and transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have emerged as promising electrocatalysts. This brief review focuses on the progress made over the past decade in the use of TMTs and TMPs for efficient green hydrogen production. Combining experimental and theoretical results, a detailed summary of their development is described. This review article aspires to provide the state-of-the-art guidelines and strategies for the design and development of new highly performing electrocatalysts for the upcoming energy conversion and storage electrochemical technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Applications in Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Based Systems)
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