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Batteries
Special Issues
Challenges, Progress, and Outlook of High-Performance Fuel Cells
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Challenges, Progress, and Outlook of High-Performance Fuel Cells

A special issue of Batteries (ISSN 2313-0105).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 1573

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jie Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Interests: clean energy and energy storage; fuel cell; thermal runaway; lithium-ion battery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Pu He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering of MOE, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Interests: fuel cell; water and heat management; hydrogen utilization; multi-scale heat and mass transfer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the face of growing global energy demands and the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions, fuel cells have emerged as a pivotal technology.

As a strategic energy option, fuel cells offer high energy efficiency, low- or zero-emission operation, making them an ideal candidate for a wide range of applications, from transportation to distributed power generation. However, with the increasing cost constraints, the development of high-performance fuel cells is at the forefront of modern energy research. This Special Issue calls for original and innovative research and review papers addressing high-performance fuel cells, including the exploration of novel materials, the enhancement of electrochemical performance, as well as the improvement of safety and stability. These investigations are expected to drive crucial progress in battery technology development and expand the prospects for future energy storage solutions.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Exploration of new catalyst materials for fuel cells;
  • Design optimization of electrodes for enhanced fuel cell performance;
  • Investigation of the heat and mass transfer in fuel cells;
  • Innovative manufacturing processes for cost-effective fuel cells;
  • Performance analysis of high-performance fuel cells under extreme operating conditions;
  • Improving the durability of fuel cell membranes;
  • Cost-reduction strategies for large-scale fuel cell deployment;
  • Innovative fuel cell stack designs;
  • Application expansion of fuel cells in emerging fields;
  • Application of AI in fuel cell design and control;
  • Digital twinning or big data analytics of complex heat and mass transfer processes in fuel cell.

Prof. Dr. Jie Liu
Dr. Pu He
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Batteries is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • PEMFC/SOFC/RFC/DMFC
  • high performance
  • materials research
  • electrolytes
  • component design
  • electrochemical simulation and calculation
  • manufacturing techniques
  • system integration

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 5124 KiB  
Article
Gradient Silica Loading: Performance Analysis of PEMFCs Under Temperature-Humidity Variations
by Qiang Bai, Chuangyu Hsieh, Zhenghong Liu, Qipeng Chen and Fangbor Weng
Batteries 2025, 11(7), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11070259 - 10 Jul 2025
Abstract
Fuel cells, as one of the most promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for portable power systems, still face significant challenges. A critical issue is their substantial performance degradation under low-humidity conditions. To address this, researchers commonly add silica to components. This study employs [...] Read more.
Fuel cells, as one of the most promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for portable power systems, still face significant challenges. A critical issue is their substantial performance degradation under low-humidity conditions. To address this, researchers commonly add silica to components. This study employs a control variable method to systematically investigate the impact of four parameters—gas stoichiometry, temperature, humidity, and silica content—on fuel cell performance. Initially, the effects of gas stoichiometry, temperature, and humidity on performance were examined. Subsequently, hydrophilic silica was incorporated into the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) to assess its potential for improving performance in low-humidity environments. Experimental results reveal that under 100% humidification, silica addition had a minimal impact on performance, particularly at high temperatures where performance improved by only 2.5%. This is attributed to increased water production at elevated temperatures, which—when combined with silica’s water retention properties—exacerbates flooding. However, when humidity was reduced to 50%, silica incorporation significantly enhanced performance. At high temperatures, silica addition resulted in a 126.2% performance improvement, demonstrating its efficacy as a rational strategy under low-humidity conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges, Progress, and Outlook of High-Performance Fuel Cells)
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14 pages, 4052 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Hydrogen Leakage and Influencing Factors of Fuel Cell Vehicles in Enclosed Spaces
by Congxin Li and Zhang Xin
Batteries 2025, 11(7), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11070247 - 26 Jun 2025
Viewed by 233
Abstract
A simulation study was conducted on the hydrogen leakage diffusion process and influencing factors of fuel cell vehicles in enclosed spaces. The results indicate that when hydrogen leakage flows towards the rear of the vehicle, it mainly flows along the rear wall of [...] Read more.
A simulation study was conducted on the hydrogen leakage diffusion process and influencing factors of fuel cell vehicles in enclosed spaces. The results indicate that when hydrogen leakage flows towards the rear of the vehicle, it mainly flows along the rear wall of the space and diffuses to the surrounding areas. Setting ventilation openings of different areas on the top of the carriage did not significantly improve the spatial diffusion speed of the leaked hydrogen, and the impact on the concentration of leaked hydrogen was limited to the vicinity of the ventilation openings. The ventilation opening at the rear can accelerate the diffusion of hydrogen gas to the external environment, significantly reducing the concentration of hydrogen and rate of gas rise. When the leaked hydrogen gas flows towards the front of the vehicle and above the space, the concentration of hydrogen mainly increases along the height direction of the space. The research results have significant safety implications for the use of fuel cell semi-trailer trucks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges, Progress, and Outlook of High-Performance Fuel Cells)
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15 pages, 2144 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Porous Transport Layers in PEM Water Electrolyzers: A 1D Two-Phase Model
by Lu Zhang, Jie Liu and Shaojie Du
Batteries 2025, 11(6), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11060222 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 476
Abstract
The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEMWE) has been regarded as a promising technology for converting surplus intermittent renewable energy into green hydrogen through electrochemical water splitting. However, the multiphase mass and charge transport processes with countercurrent flow within the PEMWE create complex structure–property [...] Read more.
The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEMWE) has been regarded as a promising technology for converting surplus intermittent renewable energy into green hydrogen through electrochemical water splitting. However, the multiphase mass and charge transport processes with countercurrent flow within the PEMWE create complex structure–property relationships that are difficult to optimize. The interdependent effects of multiple structural parameters on the coupled heat transfer, mass transfer, and charge transfer processes further obscure performance optimization mechanisms. To decouple these phenomena and elucidate the underlying mechanisms, a multiphase one-dimensional mathematical model was developed and experimentally validated. Based on the model, the mass transfer, charge conduction, and heat transfer processes inside the PEMWE have been systematically investigated, with a particular focus on the performance-related parameters of the porous transport layer (PTL). The results reveal that PTL thickness and porosity exhibit opposite effects on activation and ohmic overpotential at an elevated current density. Furthermore, a sharp performance decline occurs when PTL gas permeability falls below the critical threshold. These findings provide quantitative guidelines for multiphysics-informed component optimization in high-performance PEMWEs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges, Progress, and Outlook of High-Performance Fuel Cells)
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11 pages, 6157 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study of the Effects of Heat Loss and Solid Thermal Conductivity on Syngas Production for Fuel Cells
by Xiaolong Wang, Mengmeng Yu, Zunmin Li, Zhen Wang, Xiuxia Zhang, Junrui Shi, Xiangjin Kong and Jinsheng Lv
Batteries 2025, 11(5), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11050187 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 422
Abstract
Syngas can be used as feedstock for efficient energy conversion in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In the current paper, the conversion efficiency of methane to synthesis gas (H2 and CO) within a two-layer porous media reactor is investigated by a one-dimensional [...] Read more.
Syngas can be used as feedstock for efficient energy conversion in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In the current paper, the conversion efficiency of methane to synthesis gas (H2 and CO) within a two-layer porous media reactor is investigated by a one-dimensional two-temperature model. A detailed chemical reaction mechanism GRI-Mech 1.2 is used to describe the chemical processes. Attention is focused on CO2 content in the methane/air mixture, heat loss to the surroundings, and solid thermal conductivity on temperature distribution and conversion efficiency. Numerical results show that addition of CO2 to the methane/air mixture improves the conversion efficiency. For a molar ratio of CO2/CH4 = 1, the conversion efficiency reaches 44.8%. An increase in heat loss to the surroundings leads to a decrease in conversion efficiency. A greater solid thermal conductivity can improve the conversion efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges, Progress, and Outlook of High-Performance Fuel Cells)
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