Abstract
Clean and highly efficient energy production has long been sought after, as a way to solve global energy and environmental problems. Fuel cells, which convert the chemical energy stored in fuel directly into electricity, are expected to be a key enabling technology for the pressing energy issues that plague our planet. Fuel cells require oxygen as an oxidant and require oxygen tank containers when used in air-free environments such as outer space and underwater. Hydrogen peroxide has been extensively utilized as an alternative liquid oxidant in place of gaseous oxygen. In addition to being an oxidant, hydrogen peroxide can donate electrons in the oxidation reaction to act as a fuel. This article provides an overview of the dual role of hydrogen peroxide in fuel-cell applications, including working principle, system design, and cell performance. Recent innovations and future perspectives of fuel cells that use hydrogen peroxide are particularly emphasized.
摘要
发展新的能源技术是解决全球能源与环境问题的关键. 作为新一代能源转换技术, 燃料电池可将燃料中的化学能直接转换为电能, 它是一种高效、清洁的能源转换系统, 必将在未来得到广泛应用. 燃料电池需要氧气作为氧化剂, 为此在诸如太空、水下等无氧环境中, 电池系统需要携带高压氧气储存系统. 因此, 常压下液态过氧化氢已经被广泛地应用在燃料电池中代替气态氧作为氧化剂. 另外, 过氧化氢还可以在燃料电池中通过氧化反应释放电子, 从而可以作为燃料. 本文着重介绍了过氧化氢燃料电池的最新进展, 包括工作原理、系统设计、及电池性能, 并展望了今后的研究方向
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chu S, Majumdar A (2012) Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable energy future. Nature 488:294–303
An L, Zhao TS (2011) An alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell with a cation exchange membrane. Energy Environ Sci 4:2213–2217
Winter M, Brodd RJ (2004) What are batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors? Chem Rev 104:4245–4269
An L, Zeng L, Zhao TS (2013) An alkaline direct ethylene glycol fuel cell with an alkali-doped polybenzimidazole membrane. Int J Hydrog Energy 38:10602–10606
An L, Chai ZH, Zeng L et al (2013) Mathematical modeling of alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells. Int J Hydrog Energy 38:14067–14075
An L, Zhao TS, Wu QX et al (2012) Comparison of different types of membrane in alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells. Int J Hydrog Energy 37:14536–14542
Ma J, Choudhury NA, Sahai Y (2010) A comprehensive review of direct borohydride fuel cells. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 14:183–199
An L, Zhao TS, Li YS et al (2012) Charge carriers in alkaline direct oxidation fuel cells. Energy Environ Sci 5:7536–7538
Miley GH, Luo N, Mather J et al (2007) Direct NaBH4/H2O2 fuel cells. J Power Sources 165:509–516
An L, Zhao TS, Xu JB (2011) A bi-functional cathode structure for alkaline-acid direct ethanol fuel cells. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:13089–13095
Yamada Y, Fukunishi Y, Yamazaki S et al (2010) Hydrogen peroxide as sustainable fuel: electrocatalysts for production with a solar cell and decomposition with the fuel cell. Chem Commun 46:7334–7336
Luo N, Miley GH, Kim KJ et al (2008) NaBH4/H2O2 fuel cells for air independent power systems. J Power Sources 185:685–690
Fukuzumi S, Yamada Y, Karlin KD (2012) Hydrogen peroxide as a sustainable energy carrier: electrocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide and the fuel cell. Electrochim Acta 82:493–511
An L, Zhao TS, Chai ZH et al (2014) Modeling of the mixed potential in hydrogen peroxide-based fuel cells. Int J Hydrog Energy 39:7407–7416
Gu L, Luo N, Miley GH (2007) Cathode electrocatalyst selection and deposition for a direct borohydride/hydrogen peroxide fuel cell. J Power Sources 173:77–85
Raman RK, Choudhury NA, Shukla AK (2004) A high output voltage direct borohydride fuel cell. Electrochem Solid State Lett 7:A488–A491
Jing X, Cao D, Liu Y et al (2011) The open circuit potential of hydrogen peroxide at noble and glassy carbon electrodes in acidic and basic electrolytes. J Electroanal Chem 658:46–51
An L, Zhao TS, Zhou XL (2014) A high-performance ethanol–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell. RSC Adv 4:65031–65034
An L, Zhao TS, Zhou XL et al (2005) A low-cost, high-performance zinc-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell. J Power Sources 275:831
Kim T, Hwang JS, Kwon S (2007) A MEMS methanol reformer heated by decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Lab Chip 7:835–841
Kim T, Kwon S (2007) Integrated fabrication of a micro methanol reformer and a hydrogen peroxide heat source. In: MEMS 2007, Kobe, Japan, 21–25 January 2007, pp 895–898
Jung ES, Kim T, Jin J et al (2009) Autothermal reformer using hydrogen peroxide for micro fuel cells. In: Power MEMS 2009, Washington DC, USA, December 1–4, 2009
Choudhury N, Kothandaraman R, Shukla A (2004) Direct borohydride fuel cells with hydrogen peroxide oxidant. U.S. Patent Application 10/843,455. 2004-5-12
Raman RK, Shukla AK (2005) Electro-reduction of hydrogen peroxide on iron tetramethoxy phenyl porphyrin and lead sulfate electrodes with application in direct borohydride fuel cells. J Appl Electrochem 35:1157–1161
Raman RK, Prashant SK, Shukla AK (2006) A 28-W portable direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel-cell stack. J Power Sources 162:1073–1076
Raman RK, Shukla AK (2007) A direct borohydride/hydrogen peroxide fuel cell with reduced alkali crossover. Fuel Cells 7:225–231
de Leon CP, Walsh FC, Rose A et al (2007) A direct borohydride–Acid peroxide fuel cell. J Power Sources 164:441–448
Santos DM, Condeco JA, Franco MW et al (2007) An improved borohydride-H2O2 laboratory fuel cell. ECS Trans 3:19–30
Selvarani G, Prashant SK, Sahu AK et al (2008) A direct borohydride fuel cell employing Prussian Blue as mediated electron-transfer hydrogen peroxide reduction catalyst. J Power Sources 178:86–91
Ponce de León C, Walsh FC, Patrissi CJ et al (2008) A direct borohydride–peroxide fuel cell using a Pd/Ir alloy coated microfibrous carbon cathode. Electrochem Commun 10:1610–1613
Khadke PS, Sethuraman P, Kandasamy P et al (2009) A self-supported direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell system. Energies 2:190–201
Wei J, Wang X, Wang Y et al (2009) Carbon-supported Au hollow nanospheres as anode catalysts for direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cells. Energy Fuel 23:4037–4041
Miley GH, Bernas R, Kim KJ et al (2009) Optimization of catalyst deposited diffusion layer for a direct sodium borohydride fuel cell (DNBFC). ECS Trans 17:525–542
Towne S, Carell M, Mustain WE et al (2009) Performance of a direct borohydride fuel cell. ECS Trans 25:1951–1957
Choudhury NA, Prashant SK, Pitchumani S et al (2009) Poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel membrane as electrolyte for direct borohydride fuel cells. J Chem Sci 121:647–654
Wang Y, He P, Zhou H (2010) A novel direct borohydride fuel cell using an acid–alkaline hybrid electrolyte. Energy Environ Sci 3:1515–1518
Ma J, Sahai Y, Buchheit RG (2010) Direct borohydride fuel cell using Ni-based composite anodes. J Power Sources 195:4709–4713
Pei F, Wang Y, Wang X et al (2010) Performance of supported Au–Co alloy as the anode catalyst of direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell. Int J Hydrog Energy 35:8136–8142
Santos DMF, Sequeira CAC (2010) Zinc anode for direct borohydride fuel cells. J Electrochem Soc 157:B13–B19
Yi L, Song Y, Yi W et al (2011) Carbon supported Pt hollow nanospheres as anode catalysts for direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cells. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:11512–11518
Choudhury NA, Sahai Y, Buchheit RG (2011) Chitosan chemical hydrogel electrode binder for direct borohydride fuel cells. Electrochem Commun 13:1–4
Aytaç A, Gürbüz M, Sanli AE (2011) Electrooxidation of hydrogen peroxide and sodium borohydride on Ni deposited carbon fiber electrode for alkaline fuel cells. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:10013–10021
Yi L, Song Y, Liu X et al (2011) High activity of Au–Cu/C electrocatalyst as anodic catalyst for direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:15775–15782
Choudhury NA, Ma J, Sahai Y et al (2011) High performance polymer chemical hydrogel-based electrode binder materials for direct borohydride fuel cells. J Power Sources 196:5817–5822
He P, Wang Y, Wang X et al (2011) Investigation of carbon supported Au–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles as electrocatalyst for direct borohydride fuel cell. J Power Sources 196:1042–1047
Ma J, Choudhury NA, Sahai Y et al (2011) Performance study of direct borohydride fuel cells employing polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel membrane and nickel-based anode. Fuel Cells 11:603–610
Choudhury NA, Sahai Y, Buchheit RG (2011) Polyvinyl alcohol chemical hydrogel electrode binder for direct borohydride fuel cells. J Electrochem Soc 158:B712–B716
Pei F, Wang Y, Wang X et al (2011) Preparation and performance of highly efficient Au nanoparticles electrocatalyst for the direct borohydride fuel cell. Fuel Cells 11:595–602
Yi L, Hu B, Song Y et al (2011) Studies of electrochemical performance of carbon supported Pt–Cu nanoparticles as anode catalysts for direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell. J Power Sources 196:9924–9930
He P, Wang X, Fu P et al (2011) The studies of performance of the Au electrode modified by Zn as the anode electrocatalyst of direct borohydride fuel cell. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:8857–8863
Reeve RW (2012) A sodium borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell employing a bipolar membrane electrolyte. ECS Trans 42:117–129
Yi L, Song Y, Wang X et al (2012) Carbon supported palladium hollow nanospheres as anode catalysts for direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cells. J Power Sources 205:63–70
Yi L, Liu L, Liu X et al (2012) Carbon-supported Pt–Co nanoparticles as anode catalyst for direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell: electrocatalysis and fuel cell performance. Int J Hydrog Energy 37:12650–12658
Ma J, Sahai Y (2012) Cost-effective materials for direct borohydride fuel cells. ECS Trans 42:101–106
Santos DMF, Saturnino PG, Lobo RFM (2012) Direct borohydride/peroxide fuel cells using Prussian Blue cathodes. J Power Sources 208:131–137
Santos DMF, Sequeira CAC (2011) Effect of membrane separators on the performance of direct borohydride fuel cells. J Electrochem Soc 159:B126–B132
Choudhury NA, Ma J, Sahai Y (2012) High performance and eco-friendly chitosan hydrogel membrane electrolytes for direct borohydride fuel cells. J Power Sources 210:358–365
Wang Y, Guo Z, Xia Y (2013) A thin-film direct hydrogen peroxide/borohydride micro fuel cell. Adv Energy Mater 3:713–717
Yi L, Liu L, Wang X et al (2013) Carbon supported Pt–Sn nanoparticles as anode catalyst for direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell: electrocatalysis and fuel cell performance. J Power Sources 224:6–12
Jin W, Liu J, Wang Y et al (2013) Direct NaBH4–H2O2 fuel cell based on nanoporous gold leaves. Int J Hydrog Energy 38:10992–10997
An L, Zhao TS, Zeng L (2013) Agar chemical hydrogel electrode binder for fuel-electrolyte-fed fuel cells. Appl Energy 109:67–71
An L, Zhao TS, Chen R et al (2011) A novel direct ethanol fuel cell with high power density. J Power Sources 196:6219–6222
An L, Zhao TS (2011) Performance of an alkaline–acid direct ethanol fuel cell. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:9994–9999
Lao SJ, Qin HY, Ye LQ et al (2010) A development of direct hydrazine/hydrogen peroxide fuel cell. J Power Sources 195:4135–4138
Yan X, Meng F, Xie Y et al (2012) Direct N2H4/H2O2 fuel cells powered by nanoporous gold leaves. Sci Rep 2:941
Déctor A, Esquivel JP, González MJ et al (2013) Formic acid microfluidic fuel cell evaluation in different oxidant conditions. Electrochim Acta 92:31–35
Yang W, Yang S, Sun W et al (2006) Nanostructured palladium–silver coated nickel foam cathode for magnesium–hydrogen peroxide fuel cells. Electrochim Acta 52:9–14
Shu C, Wang E, Jiang L et al (2012) Studies on palladium coated titanium foams cathode for Mg–H2O2 fuel cells. J Power Sources 208:159–164
Medeiros MG, Dow EG (1999) Magnesium-solution phase catholyte seawater electrochemical system. J Power Sources 80:78–82
Medeiros MG, Bessette RR, Deschenes CM et al (2001) Optimization of the magnesium-solution phase catholyte semi-fuel cell for long duration testing. J Power Sources 96:236–239
Bessette RR, Medeiros MG, Patrissi CJ et al (2001) Development and characterization of a novel carbon fiber based cathode for semi-fuel cell applications. J Power Sources 96:240–244
Medeiros MG, Bessette RR, Deschenes CM et al (2004) Magnesium-solution phase catholyte semi-fuel cell for undersea vehicles. J Power Sources 136:226–231
Choudhury NA, Raman RK, Sampath S et al (2005) An alkaline direct borohydride fuel cell with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. J Power Sources 143:1–8
Cao D, Gao Y, Wang G et al (2010) A direct NaBH4–H2O2 fuel cell using Ni foam supported Au nanoparticles as electrodes. Int J Hydrog Energy 35:807–813
Wu HJ, Wang C, Liu ZX et al (2010) Influence of operation conditions on direct NaBH4/H2O2 fuel cell performance. Int J Hydrog Energy 35:2648–2651
An L, Zhao TS, Zeng L et al (2014) Performance of an alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. Int J Hydrog Energy 39:2320–2324
Dow EG, Bessette RR, Seeback GL et al (1997) Enhanced electrochemical performance in the development of the aluminum/hydrogen peroxide semi-fuel cell. J Power Sources 65:207–212
Bessette RR, Cichon JM, Dischert DW et al (1999) A study of cathode catalysis for the aluminium/hydrogen peroxide semi-fuel cell. J Power Sources 80:248–253
Popovich NA, Govind R (2002) Studies of a granular aluminum anode in an alkaline fuel cell. J Power Sources 112:36–40
Brodrecht DJ, Rusek JJ (2003) Aluminum–hydrogen peroxide fuel-cell studies. Appl Energy 74:113–124
Cardenas-Valencia AM, Dlutowski J, Knighton S et al (2007) Aluminum-anode, silicon-based micro-cells for powering expendable MEMS and lab-on-a-chip devices. Sens Actuators B Chem 122:328–336
Hasvold Ø, Johansen KH, Mollestad O et al (1999) The alkaline aluminium/hydrogen peroxide power source in the Hugin II unmanned underwater vehicle. J Power Sources 80:254–260
Hasvold Ø, Størkersen N (2001) Electrochemical power sources for unmanned underwater vehicles used in deep sea survey operations. J Power Sources 96:252–258
Li Q, Bjerrum NJ (2002) Aluminum as anode for energy storage and conversion: a review. J Power Sources 110:1–10
Adams M, Halliop W (2002) Aluminum energy semi-fuel cell systems for underwater applications: the state of the art and the way ahead. OCEANS’02 MTS/IEEE. IEEE 1:199–202
Hasvold O, Johansen KH (2002) The alkaline aluminium hydrogen peroxide semi-fuel cell for the HUGIN 3000 autonomous underwater vehicle. In: Proceedings of the 2002 Workshop on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, IEEE, pp 89–94
Hasvold Ø, Størkersen NJ, Forseth S et al (2006) Power sources for autonomous underwater vehicles. J Power Sources 162:935–942
Kim T (2010) Hydrogen production from solid sodium borohydride with hydrogen peroxide decomposition reaction. Int J Hydrog Energy 35:12870–12877
Lennon E, Burke AA, Ocampo M et al (2010) Microscale packed bed reactor for controlled hydrogen peroxide decomposition as a fuel cell oxidant aboard unmanned undersea vehicles. J Power Sources 195:299–306
Hasegawa S, Shimotani K, Kishi K et al (2005) Electricity generation from decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Electrochem Solid State Lett 8:A119–A121
Shyu JC, Huang CL (2011) Characterization of bubble formation in microfluidic fuel cells employing hydrogen peroxide. J Power Sources 196:3233–3238
Sanli AE (2013) A possible future fuel cell: the peroxide/peroxide fuel cell. Int J Energy Res 37:1488–1497
Yang F, Cheng K, Mo Y et al (2012) Direct peroxide–peroxide fuel cell—Part 1: the anode and cathode catalyst of carbon fiber cloth supported dendritic Pd. J Power Sources 217:562–568
Yang F, Cheng K, Liu X et al (2012) Direct peroxide–peroxide fuel cell—Part 2: effects of conditions on the performance. J Power Sources 217:569–573
Shyu JC, Huang CL, Sheu TS et al (2012) Experimental study of direct hydrogen peroxide microfluidic fuel cells. Micro Nano Lett 7:740–743
Choi YS, Sung W (2005) A planar and membraneless microscale fuel cell using nickel and silver as catalysts. In: Solid-state sensors, actuators and microsystems. Digest of Technical Papers. TRANSDUCERS’05. The 13th international conference on IEEE 2:1852–1855
Sung W, Choi JW (2007) A membraneless microscale fuel cell using non-noble catalysts in alkaline solution. J Power Sources 172:198–208
Chen F, Chang MH, Hsu CW (2007) Analysis of membraneless microfuel cell using decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in a Y-shaped microchannel. Electrochim Acta 52:7270–7277
Peng J, Zhang ZY, Niu HT (2012) A three-dimensional two-phase model for a membraneless fuel cell using decomposition of hydrogen peroxide with Y-shaped microchannel. Fuel Cells 12:1009–1018
Yamazaki S, Siroma Z, Senoh H et al (2008) A fuel cell with selective electrocatalysts using hydrogen peroxide as both an electron acceptor and a fuel. J Power Sources 178:20–25
Yamada Y, Yoshida S, Honda T et al (2011) Protonated iron–phthalocyanine complex used for cathode material of a hydrogen peroxide fuel cell operated under acidic conditions. Energy Environ Sci 4:2822–2825
Shaegh SAM, Ehteshami SMM, HwaáChan S (2012) A membraneless hydrogen peroxide fuel cell using Prussian Blue as cathode material. Energy Environ Sci 5:8225–8228
Disselkamp RS (2008) Energy storage using aqueous hydrogen peroxide. Energy Fuel 22:2771–2774
Disselkamp RS (2010) Can aqueous hydrogen peroxide be used as a stand-alone energy source? Int J Hydrog Energy 35:1049–1053
Acknowledgments
This work was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (HKUST9/CRF/11G).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
An, L., Zhao, T., Yan, X. et al. The dual role of hydrogen peroxide in fuel cells. Sci. Bull. 60, 55–64 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-014-0694-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-014-0694-7