Review
Thermodynamics
Klaere Christmann, K. Andreas Friedrich, Nada Zamel
Summary: This review focuses on the activation process in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and the mechanisms behind performance improvement during initial operation. It was found that the main mechanisms during activation include removal of solvents from production and changes in the catalyst layer ionomer and membrane surface.
PROGRESS IN ENERGY AND COMBUSTION SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaohui Yan, Zhiling Xu, Shu Yuan, Aidi Han, Yuanting Shen, Xiaojing Cheng, Yuwei Liang, Shuiyun Shen, Junliang Zhang
Summary: This review summarizes the importance of PFSA ionomer in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and its influence on fuel cell performance. By comparing the properties of PFSA bulk membrane and ultrathin ionomer film, as well as the microstructure and proton conduction behavior of the ionomer in the catalyst layer, the impact mechanism of the ionomer on fuel cell performance is revealed. Modifying the chemical structure of the ionomer and engineering the interaction between the ionomer and catalyst hold promise for greatly improving the performance of ultra-low platinum loading PEMFCs.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Alessandro d'Adamo, Maximilian Haslinger, Giuseppe Corda, Johannes Hoeflinger, Stefano Fontanesi, Thomas Lauer
Summary: The review article analyzes Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) through presenting common approaches for multi-phase/multi-physics modeling and advanced diagnostic techniques, in order to advance the current technology in sustainable power generation through a unified framework of interrelated physical/chemical processes.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jared Beshai, Thomas DiSorbo, Jacob Hutfles, Jacob Segil, Richard F. ff Weir, John Pellegrino
Summary: This study presents the key characteristics of implementing cellulose acetate (CA) coatings on carbon cloth used as a fuel diffusion layer in aqueous fuel-fed cells, and demonstrates their functionality. The results show that these coatings enhance aqueous solution permeation and adhesion properties, leading to a two-fold increase in maximum power generation in alkaline DGFCs.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Samindi Madhubha Jayawickrama, Dan Wu, Rei Nakayama, Shota Ishikawa, Xuanchen Liu, Gen Inoue, Tsuyohiko Fujigaya
Summary: The study shows that a Pt catalyst loaded on PBI-coated Vulcan with an I/C ratio of 0.2 exhibits the highest maximum power density, while maintaining stable ionomer coating and high proton conductivity. The PBI coating approach is a significant breakthrough in fabricating highly efficient CLs by improving both proton conduction and O2 diffusion simultaneously with lower ionomer content, as compared to conventional Pt catalyst on Vulcan.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2021)
Article
Electrochemistry
Siddharth Komini Babu, Thomas O'Brien, Michael J. Workman, Mahlon Wilson, Rangachary Mukundan, Rod Borup
Summary: The corrosion of fuel cell components introduces contaminants that accelerate ionomer degradation, decreasing fuel cell durability. Altering gas diffusion layer wettability can affect cation contaminant transport, with the addition of a hydrophobic layer significantly suppressing contaminant transport and improving fuel cell performance.
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meihua Tang, Huangli Yan, Xianming Zhang, Zhenying Zheng, Shengli Chen
Summary: This perspective summarizes the latest advances in tackling the interface problems in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) through materials optimization and innovation. The challenges related to the catalyst/ionomer interface, including poisoning active sites of platinum (Pt) and sluggish oxygen transport, are addressed. The role of materials structure in regulating intermolecular interactions is emphasized, with a focus on catalysts, ionomers, and additives. The paper also highlights the challenges in applying established materials and proposes opportunities to broaden the material library.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jinlong Li, Weiqi Zhang, Qiang Ma, Qian Xu, Olivia Barron, Khadijeh Hooshyari, Huaneng Su
Summary: A facile and universal strategy of in-situ growing Pt nanowires on a dual microporous layer (MPL) as a novel catalyst layer (CL) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is proposed in this study. The effect of dual MPL structure on PEMFCs performance is investigated, showing significantly improved power output and durability.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
G. Athanasaki, Q. Wang, X. Shi, N. Chauhan, V. Vimala, L. Cindrella, R. Ahmad, A. M. Kannan
Summary: Membrane electrode assemblies are improved by incorporating gas diffusion layers with microporous layers to enhance the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells under different humidity conditions. The fabricated GDL samples with PUREBLACK (R) showed crack-free surface morphology and hydrophobic characteristics. The fuel cell performance was evaluated under different relative humidity conditions, with the GDL containing 30% pore forming agent showing higher performance compared to those without.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
S. Meenakshi, Kapil Sonkar, Sachin Chugh, Rajesh Badhe, G. S. Kapur, S. S. V. Ramakumar
Summary: Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) in a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is crucial for the performance of the fuel cell system. This study investigates the degradation of a stack operated MEA and characterizes it using electrochemical and physical methods. The results show that the MEA assembly decomposes at specific temperatures for the Nafion membrane, carbon-supported catalyst, and carbon-based GDL. The degradation is evidenced by the decrease of electrocatalyst surface area and the migration of catalyst particles.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Electrochemistry
Anne-Christine Scherzer, Patrick Schneider, Patrick K. Herring, Matthias Klingele, Nada Zamel, Dietmar Gerteisen
Summary: We propose a model that can simulate the morphology of the cathode catalyst layer before and after loading with Pt and ionomer. The model accurately describes the size distributions of support nanopores and catalyst particles, allowing for qualitative predictions during the addition of materials. The model focuses on the impregnation and blockage of pores due to ionomer loading and its consequences on the Pt/ionomer interface, ionomer film thickness, and protonic binding. It successfully emulates different catalyst/support combinations and explains the non-monotonic increase of protonically active catalyst surface area with ionomer addition in some supports.
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Junliang Zhao, Xiuyang Zou, Ji Pan, Bowen Wang, Zhiyu Jin, Guodong Xu, Xingchen He, Zhe Sun, Feng Yan
Summary: This study investigates the transport mechanism of active species in the catalyst layer of alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) by synthesizing and characterizing ionomers. The results indicate that the free flow of water and the paddle effect of the ionomer substituent play a crucial role in enhancing active species transport in the catalyst layer.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Hamed Gholipour, Mohammad J. Kermani, Rahim Zamanian
Summary: A pore network model is developed for gas diffusion layer in the cathode side of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, capturing the non-uniform water saturation distributions inside GDL and predicting the time evolution of oxygen concentration and water generation rate at catalyst layer. The local water blockages inflict an average of 38.8% loss on the produced limiting current of the fuel cell, with concentration overvoltages most pronounced in the under-rib region.
ACTA MECHANICA SINICA
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Pascal Ruzzante, Xianguo Li
Summary: Proton exchange membrane fuel cells have potential in achieving global net-zero emissions. The efficiency loss of the catalyst layer, attributed to transport resistance and reaction mechanisms in its porous structure, needs to be studied using a computational reconstruction model. A hybrid stochastic reconstruction technique is compared to conventional methods, using pore size distributions, surface area, porosity, mean pore diameter, and mean chord lengths to evaluate accuracy. Method 2 achieves higher accuracy in mean chord lengths and surface area compared to Methods 1 and 0, while both Methods 1 and 2 improve mean pore size over Method 0.
Article
Thermodynamics
Yi Li, Fang Yuan, Rengang Weng, Fang Xi, Wei Liu
Summary: The porosity distribution in the gas diffusion layer significantly impacts cell performance. An optimized three-dimensional nonuniform porosity distribution is proposed to increase current density and power density. Different design schemes are evaluated, with the optimized porosity distribution showing the best performance.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Juan Wu, Xiaohui Zhu, Marcia M. West, Tolek Tyliszczak, Hung-Wei Shiu, David Shapiro, Viatcheslav Berejnov, Darija Susac, Juergen Stumper, Adam P. Hitchcock
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Juan Wu, Lis G. A. Melo, Xiaohui Zhu, Marcia M. West, Viatcheslav Berejnov, Darija Susac, Juergen Stumper, Adam P. Hitchcock
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lis G. A. Melo, Adam P. Hitchcock, Darija Susac, Juergen Stumper, Viatcheslav Berejnov
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sina Salari, Jurgen Stumper, Majid Bahrami
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mohammad Ahadi, Mickey Tam, Jurgen Stumper, Majid Bahrami
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
N. Ge, R. Banerjee, D. Muirhead, J. Lee, H. Liu, P. Shrestha, A. K. C. Wong, J. Jankovic, M. Tam, D. Susac, J. Stumper, A. Bazylak
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ali Malekian, Sina Salari, Juergen Stumper, Ned Djilali, Majid Bahrami
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ali Malekian, Sina Salari, Mickey Tam, Ned Djilali, Majid Bahrami
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ali Malekian, Sina Salari, Mickey Tam, Kevin Oldknow, Ned Djilali, Majid Bahrami
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Michael T. Y. Paul, Madhu S. Saha, Wei Li Qi, Juergen Stumper, Byron D. Gates
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2020)
Article
Electrochemistry
M. Ahadi, J. Jankovic, M. Tam, B. Zahiri, M. S. Saha, J. Stumper, M. Bahrami
Article
Electrochemistry
S. Shukla, F. Wei, M. Mandal, J. Zhou, M. S. Saha, J. Stumper, M. Secanell
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tianyu Chen, Zhibin Lu, Guangjin Zeng, Yongmin Xie, Jie Xiao, Zhifeng Xu
Summary: The study introduces a high-performance LSGM electrolyte-supported tubular DC-SOFC stack for portable applications, which shows great potential in developing into high-performing, efficient, and environmentally friendly portable power sources for distributed applications.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wenbin Tong, Yili Chen, Shijie Gong, Shaokun Zhu, Jie Tian, Jiaqian Qin, Wenyong Chen, Shuanghong Chen
Summary: In this study, a three-dimensional porous NiO interface layer with enhanced anode dynamics is fabricated, forming a Schottky contact with the zinc substrate, allowing rapid and uniform zinc plating both inside and below the interface layer. The resulting NiO@Zn exhibits exceptional stability and high capacity retention.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yafeng Bai, Kaidi Li, Liying Wang, Yang Gao, Xuesong Li, Xijia Yang, Wei Lu
Summary: In this study, a flexible zinc ion supercapacitor with gel electrolytes, porous alpha-MnO2@reduced graphene oxide cathode, and activated carbon/carbon cloth anode was developed. The device exhibits excellent electrochemical performance and stability, even at low temperatures, with a high cycle retention rate after 5000 cycles.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Anmol Jnawali, Matt D. R. Kok, Francesco Iacoviello, Daniel J. L. Brett, Paul R. Shearing
Summary: This article presents the results of a systematic study on the electrochemical performance and mechanical changes in two types of commercial batteries with different anode chemistry. The study reveals that the swelling of anode layers in batteries with silicon-based components causes deformations in the jelly roll structure, but the presence of a small percentage of silicon does not significantly impact the cycling performance of the cells within the relevant state-of-health range for electric vehicles (EVs). The research suggests that there is room for improving the cell capacities by increasing the silicon loading in composite anodes to meet the increasing demands on EVs.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yohandys A. Zulueta, My Phuong Pham-Ho, Minh Tho Nguyen
Summary: Advanced atomistic simulations were used to study ion transport in the Na- and K-doped lithium disilicate Li2Si2O5. The results showed that Na and K doping significantly enhanced Li ion diffusion and conduction in the material.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zongying Han, Hui Dong, Yanru Yang, Hao Yu, Zhibin Yang
Summary: An efficient phase inversion-impregnation approach is developed to fabricate BaO-decorated Ni8 mol% YSZ anode-supported tubular solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with anti-coking properties. BaO nanoislands are successfully introduced inside the Ni-YSZ anode, leading to higher peak power densities and improved stability in methane fuel. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the loading of BaO nanoislands facilitates carbon elimination by capturing and dissociating H2O molecules to generate OH.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Suresh Mamidi, Dan Na, Baeksang Yoon, Henu Sharma, Anil D. Pathak, Kisor Kumar Sahu, Dae Young Lee, Cheul-Ro Lee, Inseok Seo
Summary: Li-CO2 batteries, which utilize CO2 and have a high energy density, are hindered in practical applications due to slow kinetics and safety hazards. This study introduces a stable and highly conductive ceramic-based solid electrolyte and a metal-organic framework catalyst to improve the safety and performance of Li-CO2 batteries. The optimized Li-CO2 cell shows outstanding specific capacity and cycle life, and the post-cycling analysis reveals the degradation mechanism of the electrodes. First-principles calculations based on density functional theory are also performed to understand the interactions between the catalyst and the host electrode. This research demonstrates the potential of MOF cathode catalyst for stable operation in Li-CO2 batteries.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ganghua Xiang, Zhihuan Qiu, Huilong Fei, Zhigang Liu, Shuangfeng Yin, Yuen Wu
Summary: In this study, a CeFeOx-supported Pt single atoms and subnanometric clusters catalyst was developed, which exhibits enhanced catalytic activity and stability for the preferential oxidation of CO in H2-rich stream through synergistic effect.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dimitrios Chatzogiannakis, Marcus Fehse, Maria Angeles Cabanero, Natalia Romano, Ashley Black, Damien Saurel, M. Rosa Palacin, Montse Casas-Cabanas
Summary: By coupling electrochemical testing to operando synchrotron based X-ray absorption and powder diffraction experiments, blended positive electrodes consisting of LiMn2O4 spinel (LMO) and layered LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 (NMC) were studied to understand their redox mechanism. It was found that blending NMC with LMO can enhance energy density at high rates, with the blend containing 25% LMO showing the best performance. Testing with a special electrochemical setup revealed that the effective current load on each blend component can vary significantly from the nominal rate and also changes with SoC. Operando studies allowed monitoring of the oxidation state evolution and changes in crystal structure, in line with the expected behavior of individual components considering their electrochemical current loads.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chiara Cementon, Daniel Dewar, Thrinathreddy Ramireddy, Michael Brennan, Alexey M. Glushenkov
Summary: This Perspective discusses the specific power and power density of lithium-ion capacitors, highlighting the fact that their power characteristics are often underestimated. Through analysis, it is found that lithium-ion capacitors can usually achieve power densities superior to electrochemical supercapacitors, making them excellent alternatives to supercapacitors.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Weihao Wang, Hao Yu, Li Ma, Youquan Zhang, Yuejiao Chen, Libao Chen, Guichao Kuang, Liangjun Zhou, Weifeng Wei
Summary: This study achieved an improved electrolyte with excellent low-temperature and high-voltage performance by regulating the Li+ solvation structure and highly concentrating it. The electrolyte exhibited outstanding oxidation potential and high ionic conductivity under low temperature and high voltage conditions, providing a promising approach for the practical application of high-voltage LIBs.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Martin Bures, Dan Gotz, Jiri Charvat, Milos Svoboda, Jaromir Pocedic, Juraj Kosek, Alexandr Zubov, Petr Mazur
Summary: Vanadium redox flow battery is a promising energy storage solution with long-term durability, non-flammability, and high overall efficiency. Researchers have developed a mathematical model to simulate the charge-discharge cycling of the battery, and found that hydraulic connection of electrolyte tanks is the most effective strategy to reduce capacity losses, achieving a 69% reduction.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
M. Rodriguez-Gomez, J. Campo, A. Orera, F. de La Fuente, J. Valenciano, H. Fricke, D. S. Hussey, Y. Chen, D. Yu, K. An, A. Larrea
Summary: In this study, we analysed the operando performance of industrial lead cells using neutron diffraction experiments. The experiments revealed the evolution of different phases in the positive electrode, showed significant inhomogeneity of phase distribution inside the electrode, and estimated the energy efficiency of the cells.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jiawei Liu, Chenpeng Wang, Yue Yao, Hao Ye, Yinglong Liu, Yingli Liu, Xiaoru Xu, Zhicong Chen, Huazheng Yang, Gang Wu, Libin Lei, Chao Wang, Bo Liang
Summary: The study focuses on utilizing double conductive Ni-pads as anode collectors in micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cells. The simulation results show excellent performance and stability of DCNPs, and also highlight the potential applications in various fields.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yang Wang, Kangjie Zhou, Lang Cui, Jiabing Mei, Shengnan Li, Le Li, Wei Fan, Longsheng Zhang, Tianxi Liu
Summary: This study presents a polyimide sandwiched separator (s-PIF) for improving the cycling stability of Li-metal batteries. The s-PIF separator exhibits superior mechanical property, electrolyte adsorption/retention and ion conductivity, and enables dendrite-free Li plating/stripping process.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2024)