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Title: Recent trends on the application of PGM-free catalysts at the cathode of anion exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) are becoming more and more attractive due to their alkaline environment, being less aggressive and favorable to the use of low-cost materials. Furthermore, the alkaline medium displays enhanced alcohol oxidation reaction kinetics, which favors the use of fuels different from hydrogen, ranging from alcohols to polyols, and enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics. This allows the use of non-noble transition metals to synthesize cathodic catalysts, avoiding the costly platinum-group metals (PGM). In particular, the most active catalysts developed so far are mostly synthesized by sacrificial support method, which allows the fine tuning of the morphology, favoring oxygen transport, water removal, density of Fe-Nx active sites, and thus an enhanced electrochemical ORR activity. This mini-review analyzes the best AEMFCs cell performance achieved so far in recent years when PGM-free catalysts based on Me-N-C (Me = Fe, Co) are used for ORR at the cathode side, for AEMFCs fed with hydrogen, methanol, and ethanol.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
  2. Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
1461369
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5900-71988
Journal ID: ISSN 2451-9103
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Current Opinion in Electrochemistry
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 2451-9103
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; anion exchange membrane fuel cells; AEMFC; fuel cell performance; catalysts

Citation Formats

Osmieri, Luigi, Pezzolato, Lorenzo, and Specchia, Stefania. Recent trends on the application of PGM-free catalysts at the cathode of anion exchange membrane fuel cells. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1016/j.coelec.2018.05.011.
Osmieri, Luigi, Pezzolato, Lorenzo, & Specchia, Stefania. Recent trends on the application of PGM-free catalysts at the cathode of anion exchange membrane fuel cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coelec.2018.05.011
Osmieri, Luigi, Pezzolato, Lorenzo, and Specchia, Stefania. 2018. "Recent trends on the application of PGM-free catalysts at the cathode of anion exchange membrane fuel cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coelec.2018.05.011. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1461369.
@article{osti_1461369,
title = {Recent trends on the application of PGM-free catalysts at the cathode of anion exchange membrane fuel cells},
author = {Osmieri, Luigi and Pezzolato, Lorenzo and Specchia, Stefania},
abstractNote = {Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) are becoming more and more attractive due to their alkaline environment, being less aggressive and favorable to the use of low-cost materials. Furthermore, the alkaline medium displays enhanced alcohol oxidation reaction kinetics, which favors the use of fuels different from hydrogen, ranging from alcohols to polyols, and enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics. This allows the use of non-noble transition metals to synthesize cathodic catalysts, avoiding the costly platinum-group metals (PGM). In particular, the most active catalysts developed so far are mostly synthesized by sacrificial support method, which allows the fine tuning of the morphology, favoring oxygen transport, water removal, density of Fe-Nx active sites, and thus an enhanced electrochemical ORR activity. This mini-review analyzes the best AEMFCs cell performance achieved so far in recent years when PGM-free catalysts based on Me-N-C (Me = Fe, Co) are used for ORR at the cathode side, for AEMFCs fed with hydrogen, methanol, and ethanol.},
doi = {10.1016/j.coelec.2018.05.011},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1461369}, journal = {Current Opinion in Electrochemistry},
issn = {2451-9103},
number = C,
volume = 9,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Sat May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 57 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: (a)Scheme of an AEMFC fed with hydrogen (FF: flow-field; GDL: gas diffusion layer; CL: catalytic layer; AEM: anion exchange membrane). (b) The three transport mechanisms of OH and H2O in AEMs.

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