Nanomaterials Applied to Fuel Cells and Catalysts
A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2024 | Viewed by 3757
Special Issue Editor
Interests: proton exchange membrane fuel cell electrocatalysts; membrane electrode assemblies
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are accepted by consensus as part of the future energy system, especially in hard-to-abate segments where electrification is not an efficient solution. In the transport sector, fuel cell electric powertrain is an excellent choice where long range and/or high payloads are required. In stationary power generation, fuel cells have a higher electricity generation efficiency than most other technologies, such as gas turbines and engines. Reversible fuel cells have great potential in coupling energy sectors at gas and electricity grid nodes.
However, before higher-mass market penetration is reached, further developments are needed to increase lifetime, fuel flexibility, reduce costs and increase efficiency to be competitive with conventional technologies. Development of new disruptive technologies based on materials science are necessary.
The Special Issue "Nanomaterials Applied to Fuel Cells and Catalysts" focuses on the development, characterization and validation of new fuel cell components, free of critical raw materials or unsustainable or environmentally unacceptable constituents without compromising performance and durability of fuel cells. Although fuel cells have relatively few key components, such as catalysts, membrane electrode assemblies, bipolar plates and gas diffusion layers, the materials science behind the development of these components is quite complex. Experts simultaneously have to pay attention to material transport, electrical as well as proton and oxide ion conductivity issues, electrocatalytic activity and selectivity and the processes that occur at the boundaries of different nanostructures and phases during operation, leading to changes in transport phenomena and generally to performance loss in time. Advanced operando techniques have to be developed in order to follow aging mechanisms under real-world conditions (i.e., working temperature, dynamic load, pressure) and in the presence of contaminants (e.g., from fuel and air).
In this Special Issue, new solutions are explored to reduce costs, increase lifetime and more efficient operation of the fuel cells.
Dr. András Tompos
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- reduction in platinum group metal content
- reversible fuel cells
- fuel flexibility
- stability of electrocatalysts
- degradation mechanisms
- operando characterizations
- composite materials nanostructures and interfaces
- reaction mechasnisms and kinetics
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Nanostructured gas diffusion layer to improve direct oxygen reduction reaction in Air-Cathode Single-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells
Authors: Giulia Massaglia; Candido F. Pirri; Marzia Quaglio
Affiliation: 1) Department of Applied Science and TEchnolgoy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Italy;
2) Center for Sustainable Future Technologies, Italian Institute of Technology, 10100, Via Livorno 60, Turin, Italy
Abstract: The aim of this work is the development of new nanostructured-gas-diffusion-layer (GDL) to improve the overall behaviour of Air-Cathode Single-Chamber-Microbial-Fuel-Cells (SCMFCs). The design of new nanostructured-GDL allowed exploiting all nanofibers ’intrinsic properties, such as high surface ratio to volume, high porosity, achieving thus a good oxygen diffusion into the proximity of catalyst layer, favouring thus the direct oxygen-reduction-reaction (ORR). Nanostructured-GDLs were prepared by electrospinning process, using a layer-by-layer deposition to collect 2 nanofibers’ mats. The first layer was made of cellulose nanofibers able to promote oxygen diffusion into SCMFC. The second layer, placed outwards, was based on polyvinyl-fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers to prevent the electrolyte leakage. This nanostructured-GDL plays a pivotal role to improve the overall performance of Air-Cathode-SCMFCs. A maximum current density of (132.2 ± 10.8) mA m-2 was obtained, which is two times higher than the one reached with commercial-PTFE (close to (58.5 ± 2.4) mA m-2), used as reference material. All results were analysed in terms of energy recovery parameter, defined as ratio of generated power integral and the internal volume of devices, evaluating the overall SCMFC performance. SCMFCs with a nanostructured-GDL showed an energy recovery equal to 60.83 mJ m-3, which was one order of magnitude higher than the one obtained with commercial-PTFE, close to 3.92 mJ m-3.