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A Review on the Long-Term Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: From Degradation Modeling to the Effects of Bipolar Plates, Sealings, and Contaminants

Author

Listed:
  • Hossein Pourrahmani

    (Group of Energy Materials, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, 1951 Sion, Switzerland)

  • Majid Siavashi

    (Applied Multi-Phase Fluid Dynamic Laboratory, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran 13114-16846, Iran)

  • Adel Yavarinasab

    (School of Biomedical Engineering, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada)

  • Mardit Matian

    (EH Group, Chemin de Vuarpillière 27, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland)

  • Nazanin Chitgar

    (Advanced Water Research Laboratory (AWRL), University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada)

  • Ligang Wang

    (Institute of Energy Power Innovation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Jan Van herle

    (Group of Energy Materials, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, 1951 Sion, Switzerland)

Abstract

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are regarded as promising alternatives to internal combustion engines (ICEs) to reduce pollution. Recent research on PEMFCs focuses on achieving higher power densities, reducing the refueling time, mitigating the final price, and decreasing the degradations, to facilitate the commercialization of hydrogen mobility. The design of bipolar plates and compression kits, in addition to their coating, can effectively improve performance, increase durability, and support water/thermal management. Past reviews usually focused on the specific aspect, which can hardly provide readers with a complete picture of the key challenges facing and advances in the long-term performance of PEMFCs. This paper aims to deliver a comprehensive source to review, from both experimental, analytical and numerical viewpoints, design challenges, degradation modeling, protective coatings for bipolar plates, and key operational challenges facing and solutions to the stack to prevent contamination. The significant research gaps in the long-term performance of PEMFCs are identified as (1) improved bipolar-plate design and coating, (2) the optimization of the design of sealing and compression kits to reduce mechanical stresses, and (3) stack degradation regarding fuel contamination and dynamic operation.

Suggested Citation

  • Hossein Pourrahmani & Majid Siavashi & Adel Yavarinasab & Mardit Matian & Nazanin Chitgar & Ligang Wang & Jan Van herle, 2022. "A Review on the Long-Term Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: From Degradation Modeling to the Effects of Bipolar Plates, Sealings, and Contaminants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-30, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:14:p:5081-:d:861028
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Enas Taha Sayed & Abdul Ghani Olabi & Abdul Hai Alami & Ali Radwan & Ayman Mdallal & Ahmed Rezk & Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem, 2023. "Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-26, February.

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