Focus on the catalysts to resist the phosphate poisoning in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

ABSTRACT

Investigating highly effective electrocatalysts for high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFC) requires the resistance to phosphate acid (PA) poisoning at cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Recent advancements in catalysts have focused on alleviating phosphoric anion adsorption on Pt-based catalysts with modified electronic structure or catalytic interface and developing Fe-N-C based catalysts with immunity of PA poisoning. Fe-N-C-based catalysts have emerged as promising alternatives to Pt-based catalysts, offering significant potential to overcome the characteristic adsorption of phosphate anion on Pt. An overview of these developments provides insights into catalytic mechanisms and facilitates the design of more efficient catalysts. This review begins with an exploration of basic poisoning principles, followed by a critical summary of characterization techniques employed to identified the underlying mechanism of poisoning effect. Attention is then directed to endeavors aimed at enhancing the HT-PEMFC performance by well-designed catalysts. Finally, the opportunities and challenges in developing the anti-PA poisoning strategy and practical HT-PEMFC is discussed. Through these discussions, a comprehensive understanding of PA-poisoning bottlenecks and inspire future research directions is aim to provided.