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Energies
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Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells and Water Electrolysis
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Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells and Water Electrolysis

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "D2: Electrochem: Batteries, Fuel Cells, Capacitors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 3303

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dongqi Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Automation, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: performance assessment and state observation of fuel cells; system integration and control of hydrogen production via electrolysis; optimization of multi-source heterogeneous energy flows in new-type power systems
Dr. Ze Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Automation, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: predictive control; intelligent and mathematical optimization algorithms; energy management of fuel cell systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xiaolong Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Information Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Interests: health control of fuel cells; gas turbines; hybrid power generation systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the global energy structure has transitioned toward cleaner and lower-carbon systems in recent years, hydrogen energy has emerged as a vital component of the new energy paradigm, owing to its high energy density and zero carbon emissions. Against this backdrop, proton-exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolysis technologies play pivotal roles in hydrogen utilization and green hydrogen production technologies, respectively.

This Special Issue aims to solicit contributions of modeling studies, experimental investigations, and review articles related to proton-exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers. Submissions concerning other types of fuel cell research are also invited.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following：

  • Multiphysics modeling approaches;
  • Analysis of static and dynamic characteristics;
  • Advanced control methodologies;
  • Emerging catalytic materials;
  • Health state monitoring and fault diagnosis;
  • System integration and optimization;
  • Energy management strategies.

Dr. Dongqi Zhao
Dr. Ze Zhou
Dr. Xiaolong Wu
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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 cells
  • water electrolysis
  • electrolyzers
  • hydrogen

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2359 KB  
Article
Multiple Synergistic Degradation Parameter Identification of PEM Fuel Cells Utilizing Threat Response Adaptive Differential Evolution Algorithm
by Weiqing Ni, Zhenjie Liu, Jisen Li, Liyan Zhang, Qihong Chen and Dongqi Zhao
Energies 2026, 19(4), 894; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19040894 - 9 Feb 2026
Viewed by 531
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) experience significant performance degradation over long-term operation, hindering their commercial viability. Accurately identifying polarization curve parameters during aging is crucial for elucidating degradation mechanisms and enabling health monitoring, yet this task faces challenges such as parametric coupling [...] Read more.
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) experience significant performance degradation over long-term operation, hindering their commercial viability. Accurately identifying polarization curve parameters during aging is crucial for elucidating degradation mechanisms and enabling health monitoring, yet this task faces challenges such as parametric coupling and pronounced nonlinearity. This study tackles these identification challenges through the integrated application of a dynamic aging model, which captures the synergy between degradation mechanisms like platinum oxidation and membrane resistance increase, and the introduction of the novel Threat Response Adaptive Differential Evolution (TRADE) algorithm. The algorithm employs multidimensional threat assessment, a three-tier response strategy, and adaptive decision-making to achieve accurate and robust parameter identification. Validated with experimental data from commercial PEMFC stacks over a full ageing cycle, the TRADE algorithm achieves a root mean square error as low as 0.00675 V within the 100–1000 h range, demonstrating superior fitting performance and stability. Sensitivity analysis further reveals that activation overpotential is the dominant degradation mechanism throughout the entire cycle (contributing ≥ 70%), whereas the contribution of concentration overpotential rises substantially to 33% under high-current-density conditions. This study provides a robust modelling framework and an effective methodology for quantifying PEMFC ageing mechanisms, predicting remaining useful life, and optimizing system performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells and Water Electrolysis)
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31 pages, 15258 KB  
Article
Thermal–Fluid Behavior and Heat-Transfer Enhancement in PEMFC Cooling Plates Using Multi-Fin Zigzag Channels Under Variable Slope Angles
by Fitri Adi Iskandarianto, Djatmiko Ichsani and Fadlilatul Taufany
Energies 2026, 19(1), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19010174 - 28 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 686
Abstract
Effective thermal management is critical for sustaining the performance, durability, and stability of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). A thorough numerical investigation of six multi-fin zigzag cooling-channel geometries operating under three slope angles (75°, 90°, and 120°) is presented to monitor [...] Read more.
Effective thermal management is critical for sustaining the performance, durability, and stability of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). A thorough numerical investigation of six multi-fin zigzag cooling-channel geometries operating under three slope angles (75°, 90°, and 120°) is presented to monitor the combined impact of geometric complexity and channel inclination on cooling performance. In addition, temperature fields, velocity distributions, localized heat flow, total heat removal, and cooling efficiency were reviewed to characterize thermal–fluid behavior of the individual configuration. The results showed that geometric refinement had the strongest influence on cooling performance, with Type 5 (a = 2, b = 4, h = 2) and Type 6 (a = 4, b = 4, h = 2) progressively achieving declining temperature distributions, greater outlet velocities, and modified coolant mixing. Slope angles also affected flow behavior, where reduced inclination extended coolant residence time and elevated inclination intensified secondary flows, although the influence was secondary to geometry. Total heat flow, area-specific heat extraction, and cooling efficiency were highest in Type 5 (a = 2, b = 4, h = 2) and Type 6 (a = 4, b = 4, h = 2), with Type 5 exhibiting an optimal balance between flow disturbance and hydraulic resistance. This study generally presented practical design guidance for next-generation PEMFC cooling systems, proving that optimized multi-fin zigzag channels significantly advanced thermal uniformity and heat-transfer effectiveness under diverse operating conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells and Water Electrolysis)
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21 pages, 5589 KB  
Article
Thermal and Fluid Flow Performance Optimization of a Multi-Fin Multi-Channel Cooling System for PEMFC Using CFD and Experimental Validation
by Fitri Adi Iskandarianto, Djatmiko Ichsani and Fadlilatul Taufany
Energies 2025, 18(19), 5048; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18195048 - 23 Sep 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1520
Abstract
Efficient thermal management is critical for sustaining the performance and durability of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), where excessive operating temperatures accelerate material degradation and reduce power output. Previous studies have explored various cooling channel designs; however, limited research integrates zigzag multi-fin [...] Read more.
Efficient thermal management is critical for sustaining the performance and durability of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), where excessive operating temperatures accelerate material degradation and reduce power output. Previous studies have explored various cooling channel designs; however, limited research integrates zigzag multi-fin geometries with both computational and experimental validation for fin width optimization under high-velocity cooling. This study presents a combined Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation using ANSYS Fluent and experimental investigation of a multi-fin multi-channel cooling system for PEMFCs. The effects of fin widths (0.3–1.0 mm), inlet flow velocities (0.6–3.0 m/s), and cooling media (air, 20% ethylene glycol (EG) solution) were analyzed with respect to cathode surface temperature, power density, and cooling efficiency. Results show that a 0.3 mm fin width with 3.0 m/s inlet velocity reduced the cathode temperature by ~13 K and increased power density by ~40%. The optimized zigzag configuration improved heat transfer uniformity, achieving cooling efficiencies up to 67.0%. Experimental validation confirmed the CFD results with less than 3% deviation. The findings highlight the potential of optimized multi-fin designs to enhance PEMFC thermal stability and electrical output, offering a practical approach for advanced fuel cell thermal management systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells and Water Electrolysis)
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