Performance enhancement from catalysts to membrane electrode assemblies for high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract

High-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) show broad application perspectives due to their faster reaction kinetics and tolerance to fuel/gas impurities as well as the easy water/heat managements. However, the catalysts and subsequent membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) are still suffering from performance degradation, which severely restricts HT-PEMFCs’ large-scale practical application. To overcome the challenges, developing high-performance catalysts and MEAs with advanced materials and optimized structures to achieve stable and efficient operation of HT-PEMFCs is necessary. To facilitate the research and development of HT-PEMFCs, a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in the design of active and stable catalysts and durable MEAs is presented in this paper. This review systematically summarizes the degradation mechanisms of catalysts, and corresponding mitigation strategies for improving the stability of catalysts and MEAs, aiming to effectively developing high-performance and durable HT-PEMFCs. Furthermore, the main challenges are analysed and the future research directions for overcoming the challenges are also proposed for developing high-active and stable catalysts and MEAs used in HT-PEMFCs toward practical applications.