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Title: An Efficient Direct Ammonia Fuel Cell for Affordable Carbon-Neutral Transportation

Journal Article · · Joule

Alternative carbon-neutral synthetic fuels are needed to decarbonize the transportation sector, bridging the gap between batteries and biofuels. In this paper we analyze the economics of hydrogen-, nitrogen-, and carbon-based fuels made by carbon-neutral pathways in a post-fossil world where only water, air, and renewable electricity are available for fuel synthesis. We find that ammonia has the lowest source-to-tank energy cost by a significant margin. With this technoeconomic analysis as motivation, we demonstrate a direct ammonia fuel cell (DAFC) prototype with a peak power density of 135 mW cm-2. The DAFC employs an ammonia-tolerant precious-metal-free cathode catalyst and a high-temperature-stable hydroxide exchange membrane.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AR0000805; CBET-1744586
OSTI ID:
1706200
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1570530; OSTI ID: 1799093
Journal Information:
Joule, Journal Name: Joule Vol. 3 Journal Issue: 10; ISSN 2542-4351
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 153 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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