Advancements in cathode catalyst and cathode layer design for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Yanyan Sun; Shlomi Polani; Fang Luo; Sebastian Ott; Peter Strasser; Fabio Dionigi

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-25911-x

journal article Open Access Oct 13, 2021

Advancements in cathode catalyst and cathode layer design for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Yanyan Sun Shlomi Polani Fang Luo

Sebastian Ott Peter Strasser

Fabio Dionigi

Nature Communications Vol. 12 No. 1 · Springer Science and Business Media LLC

View at Publisher Save 10.1038/s41467-021-25911-x

Abstract

AbstractProton exchange membrane fuel cells have been recently developed at an increasing pace as clean energy conversion devices for stationary and transport sector applications. High platinum cathode loadings contribute significantly to costs. This is why improved catalyst and support materials as well as catalyst layer design are critically needed. Recent advances in nanotechnologies and material sciences have led to the discoveries of several highly promising families of materials. These include platinum-based alloys with shape-selected nanostructures, platinum-group-metal-free catalysts such as metal-nitrogen-doped carbon materials and modification of the carbon support to control surface properties and ionomer/catalyst interactions. Furthermore, the development of advanced characterization techniques allows a deeper understanding of the catalyst evolution under different conditions. This review focuses on all these recent developments and it closes with a discussion of future research directions in the field.

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Published: Oct 13, 2021
Vol/Issue: 12(1)
License: View

Authors

Y

Yanyan Sun

Department of Chemistry; Technical University of Berlin; 10623 Berlin; Germany

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Award: STR 596/5-2

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung Award: 03XP0251

Cite This Article

Yanyan Sun, Shlomi Polani, Fang Luo, et al. (2021). Advancements in cathode catalyst and cathode layer design for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Nature Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25911-x

Advancements in cathode catalyst and cathode layer design for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

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