Technical and Commercial Challenges of Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells

Abstract

This review critically evaluates the latest trends in fuel cell development for portable and stationary fuel cell applications and their integration into the automotive industry. Fast start-up, high efficiency, no toxic emissions into the atmosphere and good modularity are the key advantages of fuel cell applications. Despite the merits associated with fuel cells, the high cost of the technology remains a key factor impeding its widespread commercialization. Therefore, this review presents detailed information into the best operating conditions that yield maximum fuel cell performance. The paper recommends future research geared towards robust fuel cell geometry designs, as this determines the cell losses, and material characterization of the various cell components. When this is done properly, it will support a total reduction in the cost of the cell which in effect will reduce the total cost of the system. Despite the strides made by the fuel cell research community, there is a need for public sensitization as some people have reservations regarding the safety of the technology. This hurdle can be overcome if there is a well-documented risk assessment, which also needs to be considered in future research activities.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en14010144
Divisions: College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > School of Engineering and Technology > Mechanical, Biomedical & Design
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Aston Institute of Urban Technology and the Environment (ASTUTE)
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI)
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences
Aston University (General)
Additional Information: © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
Uncontrolled Keywords: fuel cell,optimization,efficiency,automotive industry,electric vehicles
Publication ISSN: 1996-1073
Last Modified: 06 Dec 2024 08:21
Date Deposited: 04 Jan 2021 12:11
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://www.mdp ... 6-1073/14/1/144 (Publisher URL)
PURE Output Type: Review article
Published Date: 2020-12-29
Accepted Date: 2020-12-23
Authors: Alaswad, Abed (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-7828-7924)
Omran, Abdelnasir
Sodre, Jose Ricardo (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-2243-8719)
Wilberforce, Tabbi (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-1250-1745)
Pignatelli, Gianmichelle
Dassisti, Michele
Baroutaji, Ahmad
Olabi, Abdul Ghani

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