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Advances in Catalyst Design and Application for Fuel Cells
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Advances in Catalyst Design and Application for Fuel Cells

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2024) | Viewed by 6361

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhenguo Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Engineering Laboratory for Mobile Source Emission Control Technology, China Automotive Technology & Research Center, Tianjin 300300, China
Interests: catalysts; carbon neutrality; vehicle pollution emission control; testing technology; green development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yan Yin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Engines, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: ion exchange membrane; fuel cell; oxygen reduction reaction; membrane electrode assembly; electrochemical catalysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the development of “hydrogen economy”, the capacities of fuel cell vehicles are expected to increase to 400 million before 2050, which puts forward stricter requirements for electrochemical catalysts and membrane electrode assembly (MEA) technology. To promote the development of fuel cells, a number of technical questions need to be addressed, such as how to reduce the consumption and cost of Pt-based catalysts, improve their activity and stability, enhance mass transfer efficiency in MEA, and create lightweight designs for fuel cell stacks.

This Special Issue will focus on recent advances in catalyst design and application technology, including ORR catalysts, HOR catalysts, catalyst layer structure design, and novel designs of MEA in both proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, creative and original research studies on Pt-based catalysts, non-noble metal catalysts, non-metal catalysts, the hierarchical porous structure of the catalyst layer, and assembly/operation techniques for single fuel cells or fuel cell stacks. Submissions detailing theoretical simulation methods are also encouraged.

Dr. Zhenguo Li
Dr. Yan Yin
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. Catalysts 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 2200 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

  • fuel cell
  • oxygen reduction reaction
  • hydrogen oxidation reaction
  • electrochemical reaction
  • membrane electrode assembly
  • Pt nanoalloy
  • single-atom catalyst
  • activity
  • stability
  • hydrothermal management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2763 KiB  
Article
Ternary MoWNi Alloy as a Bifunctional Catalyst for Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation and Evolution Reactions
by Yongxin Zhao, Chaofan Tian, Yuzhu Zhai, Xinyue Li, Jingbei Li, Huishan Chen, Longzhen Cheng, Hui Zhao and Pengcheng Dai
Catalysts 2025, 15(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15010015 - 27 Dec 2024
Viewed by 605
Abstract
The hydrogen economy, as an emerging paradigm for sustainable energy, relies on efficient hydrogen oxidation (HOR) and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). These reactions require effective catalysts to enhance reaction kinetics and reduce costs. Platinum (Pt) is widely used but faces issues such as [...] Read more.
The hydrogen economy, as an emerging paradigm for sustainable energy, relies on efficient hydrogen oxidation (HOR) and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). These reactions require effective catalysts to enhance reaction kinetics and reduce costs. Platinum (Pt) is widely used but faces issues such as high cost and CO poisoning. Non-precious metal catalysts, particularly Ni-based alloys, are being explored as viable alternatives. This study introduces a ternary MoWNi alloy catalyst synthesized via microwave-assisted methods and annealing. The MoWNi alloy catalyst achieves a current density of 3.5 mA·cm−2 at an overpotential of 100 mV in HOR and requires only 25 mV overpotential to reach a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 in HER, making it comparable to commercial 20% Pt/C catalysts. Notably, the catalyst also exhibits superior stability and resistance to CO toxicity. These findings underscore the potential of MoWNi alloy catalysts in advancing hydrogen-based energy systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Catalyst Design and Application for Fuel Cells)
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15 pages, 5640 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study on Flow Channel Construction of Methanol Steam Reforming Reformer
by Yujing Xiang, Huan Liu and Qi Zhang
Catalysts 2024, 14(12), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14120913 - 11 Dec 2024
Viewed by 808
Abstract
Compared with the traditional granular catalyst, a mesh-type structured CuZn-based catalyst prepared by the self-growth ordered nanoporous carrier γ-Al2O3/Al can adapt to the MSR reaction system with high flux, strong mass transfer and heat transfer, and can promote the [...] Read more.
Compared with the traditional granular catalyst, a mesh-type structured CuZn-based catalyst prepared by the self-growth ordered nanoporous carrier γ-Al2O3/Al can adapt to the MSR reaction system with high flux, strong mass transfer and heat transfer, and can promote the practical process. In this study, the kinetic experiment using a CuZn-based structured catalyst was carried out, and a nonlinear single-rate PL model was established. Based on this, a 3D theoretical model of the MSR reformer was drawn in COMSOL Multiphysics. By changing the stacking form and mesh shape of the catalyst to construct the flow channel, the chemical reaction process, heat transfer process, and mass transfer process of the CuZn structured catalyst in the reformer under different flow channels are further simulated, which provides a theoretical basis for studying the enhancement of the MSR reaction and the development of a supporting micro hydrogen production system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Catalyst Design and Application for Fuel Cells)
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23 pages, 13749 KiB  
Article
High-Performance Methanol Oxidation via Ni12-Metal8/CNF Catalyst for Fuel Cell Applications
by Mahmoud. M. Gomaa, Mohamed. O. Abdel-Hamed, Mohamed Ibrahim, Esam. E. Abdel-Hady and Yehya S. Elsharkawy
Catalysts 2024, 14(10), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14100680 - 1 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1331
Abstract
In this work, non-precious electrocatalysts were synthesized using the electrospinning technique. Ni12M8/CNF (M = Cd, Co, and Cu) catalysts were successfully prepared in a fixed ratio to withstand the optimum transition metal co-catalyst in addition to the role of [...] Read more.
In this work, non-precious electrocatalysts were synthesized using the electrospinning technique. Ni12M8/CNF (M = Cd, Co, and Cu) catalysts were successfully prepared in a fixed ratio to withstand the optimum transition metal co-catalyst in addition to the role of CNFs as support in ion-charge movement through the catalyst surface. The prepared catalysts were physically studied by XRD, SEM, and TEM. The electrochemical activity was verified using different fuel concentrations, different sweeping scan rates, and electrochemical impedance. Ni12Cu8/CNFs showed the highest electrochemical activity reaching 152 mA/cm2 through different methanol concentrations. The outstanding performance is attributed to the large active surface area provided by carbon nanofibrous that eases the charge carrier transfer through the untrapped surface of the catalyst. The electrochemical tests suggest that Ni12Cu8/CNFs have the lowest ohmic impedance resistance ensuring the highest efficiency of the designed catalyst. The obtained results serve as an efficient catalyst for direct methanol electrooxidation reactions and suggest a possible application of a low-cost, easily accessible, and large surface area established via the preparing method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Catalyst Design and Application for Fuel Cells)
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14 pages, 2131 KiB  
Article
Influence of Current Collector Design and Combination on the Performance of Passive Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
by Weibin Yu, Zhiyuan Xiao, Weiqi Zhang, Qiang Ma, Zhuo Li, Xiaohui Yan, Huaneng Su, Lei Xing and Qian Xu
Catalysts 2024, 14(9), 632; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14090632 - 18 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1072
Abstract
In this work, an anode current collector with a scaled step-hole structure (called SF-type) and a cathode current collector with a perforated cross-tilt structure (called X-type) were designed and fabricated for application in passive direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). A whole-cell test showed [...] Read more.
In this work, an anode current collector with a scaled step-hole structure (called SF-type) and a cathode current collector with a perforated cross-tilt structure (called X-type) were designed and fabricated for application in passive direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). A whole-cell test showed that the combination of an anode SF-type current collector and cathode conventional current collector increased the optimal methanol concentration from 6 M to 8 M and the maximum power density to 5.40 mW cm−2, which improved the cell performance by 51.6% compared to that of the conventional design under ambient testing conditions. The combination of the anode conventional current collector and cathode X-type current collector achieved a maximum power density of 5.65 mW cm−2 with a 58.7% performance improvement, while the optimal methanol concentration was increased to 10 M. Furthermore, the combination of anode SF-type and cathode X-type obtained the highest power density at 6.22 mW cm−2. Notably, the anode and cathode catalyst loadings used in this study were 2.0 mg cm−2, which is lower than the commonly used loading, thus reducing the fuel cell cost. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Catalyst Design and Application for Fuel Cells)
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Review

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29 pages, 5737 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in Materials Design and Fabrication Techniques for Membrane Electrode Assembly in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
by Xinhai Deng, Liying Ma, Chao Wang, Hao Ye, Lin Cao, Xinxing Zhan, Juan Tian and Xin Tong
Catalysts 2025, 15(1), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15010074 - 14 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1829
Abstract
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are widely regarded as promising clean energy technologies due to their high energy conversion efficiency, low environmental impact, and versatile application potential in transportation, stationary power, and portable devices. Central to the operation and performance of PEMFCs [...] Read more.
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are widely regarded as promising clean energy technologies due to their high energy conversion efficiency, low environmental impact, and versatile application potential in transportation, stationary power, and portable devices. Central to the operation and performance of PEMFCs are advancements in materials and manufacturing processes that directly influence their efficiency, durability, and scalability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in these areas, emphasizing the critical role of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) technology and its constituent components, including catalyst layers, membranes, and gas diffusion layers (GDLs). The MEA, as the heart of PEMFCs, has seen significant innovations in its structure and manufacturing methodologies to ensure optimal performance and durability. At the material level, catalyst layer advancements, including the development of platinum-group metal catalysts and cost-effective non-precious alternatives, have focused on improving catalytic activity, durability, and mass transport. Similarly, the evolution of membranes, particularly advancements in perfluorosulfonic acid membranes and alternative hydrocarbon-based or composite materials, has addressed challenges related to proton conductivity, mechanical stability, and operation under harsh conditions such as low humidity or high temperature. Additionally, innovations in gas diffusion layers have optimized their porosity, hydrophobicity, and structural properties, ensuring efficient reactant and product transport within the cell. By examining these interrelated aspects of PEMFC development, this review aims to provide a holistic understanding of the state of the art in PEMFC materials and manufacturing technologies, offering insights for future research and the practical implementation of high-performance fuel cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Catalyst Design and Application for Fuel Cells)
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