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Materials
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Progress and Perspectives in Proton/Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
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Progress and Perspectives in Proton/Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

A Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) belonging to the section "Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 1275

Editors

Dr. Yuzhi Ke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
Interests: fuel cells; hydrogen production; electrodes
Dr. Shudong Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Advanced Manufacturing, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
Interests: porous polymers; biomimetics; interfacial solar steam generation; radiative cooling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Materials, “Progress and Perspectives in Proton/Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells”, aims to showcase recent advances in materials development and component engineering for fuel cell technologies, with a particular focus on proton-/anion-exchange membrane fuel cells. Contributions that address the design, fabrication, and optimization of key functional components—including bipolar plates, membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), and functional surface structures—are especially encouraged. Both experimental investigations and combined experimental–theoretical studies that demonstrate clear material or structural innovations with practical relevance are welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Bipolar plate design, manufacturing, and surface modification;
  • Functional surface structures and mechanical properties of PEMFCs;
  • Preparation and modification of membrane electrode assembly components;
  • Advanced materials for electrocatalysts and ion-conductive membranes;
  • Interface engineering and durability enhancement strategies;
  • Multiscale characterization and modeling of fuel cell components.

By bringing together cutting-edge research on materials innovation and component-level design, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on the current progress and future directions of exchange membrane fuel cells.

Dr. Yuzhi Ke
Dr. Shudong Yu
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials 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

  • proton exchange membrane fuel cells
  • anion exchange membrane fuel cells
  • bipolar plates
  • membrane electrode assembly
  • surface functional structures
  • durability

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 6571 KB  
Article
Endurance-Oriented Model Predictive Energy Management for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell–Battery Hybrid Quadcopter Under Dynamic Mission Conditions
by Murat Kayaoğlu, Sencer Ünal and Hilal Biyik
Materials 2026, 19(12), 2548; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19122548 - 12 Jun 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 524
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell–battery hybrid power systems provide an effective solution to overcome the limited endurance of battery-powered multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles. However, the highly transient power demands of quadcopter platforms, combined with balance-of-plant losses and operational constraints, create significant challenges for [...] Read more.
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell–battery hybrid power systems provide an effective solution to overcome the limited endurance of battery-powered multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles. However, the highly transient power demands of quadcopter platforms, combined with balance-of-plant losses and operational constraints, create significant challenges for reliable energy management. This study proposes a degradation-aware stress-mitigation model predictive control-based energy management framework to maximize mission endurance under realistic conditions. A control-oriented, physics-consistent model is developed using manufacturer polarization data from a 500 W Aerostak proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The model captures polarization behavior, balance-of-plant loads, battery dynamics, and direct current-bus power balance. The model predictive control strategy optimally allocates power by maintaining direct current-bus stability, regulating battery state-of-charge within safe limits, and constraining fuel cell power ramp rates to mitigate degradation. High-fidelity simulations are conducted under stochastic wind disturbances and mission-dependent load profiles, including takeoff, climb, cruise, and maneuvering phases. The results show continuous power delivery without unmet load demand. The hybrid system achieves a flight endurance of 220–224 min, consuming a total of 89.99 g of hydrogen at an average rate of 0.398–0.412 g/min, indicating a notable reduction under the considered operating conditions. Additionally, long-term analysis indicates that over 97% of initial endurance is preserved after 100 cycles, demonstrating robustness against fuel cell aging. An analytical real-time feasibility assessment further indicates that the control-oriented formulation is compatible with the computational resources of typical unmanned aerial vehicle-class onboard processors, while the integration of adaptive and robust predictive control techniques is identified as a direction for future work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress and Perspectives in Proton/Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells)
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16 pages, 31148 KB  
Article
Pt Catalysts Supported on Ni-N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes for Oxygen Reduction Reaction
by Shuyue Xia, Yilin Yuan, Qinghong Huang and Yuping Wu
Materials 2026, 19(11), 2331; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19112331 - 1 Jun 2026
Viewed by 403
Abstract
This study aimed to develop high-performance, ultra-low Pt-loading 2.1 wt% vs. 20 wt% for commercial Pt/C) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Utilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as templates, a PANI layer was coated onto the surface to serve as a nitrogen-doped anchoring layer for [...] Read more.
This study aimed to develop high-performance, ultra-low Pt-loading 2.1 wt% vs. 20 wt% for commercial Pt/C) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Utilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as templates, a PANI layer was coated onto the surface to serve as a nitrogen-doped anchoring layer for metal species. Physical and structural characterizations demonstrated that the PANI-derived nitrogen-doped carbon layer uniformly encapsulates the CNT skeleton. This architecture not only achieved highly uniform Pt nanoparticle dispersion but also induced strong metal–support electronic interactions via deep-seated Ni atoms, effectively optimizing the electronic structure of the surface Pt. Electrochemical results showed that Pt/Ni-N-CNT delivers superior ORR activity in an acidic electrolyte, with a half-wave potential of 0.846 V (vs. RHE) and limiting diffusion current density outperforming commercial Pt/C (0.81 V vs. RHE), demonstrating excellent oxygen reduction kinetics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress and Perspectives in Proton/Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells)
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