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Low Platinum Fuel Cell Technologies pp 1–24Cite as

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs)

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Part of the book series: Energy and Environment Research in China ((EERC))

Abstract

Membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is the core component of proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which is composed of proton exchange membrane, cathode and anode catalytic layers and gas diffusion layers. The cost of MEA accounts for more than 60% of that of the total system, and particularly, the cost of platinum (Pt) catalysts accounts for nearly 70% of MEA cost. It has been well recognized that the high cost caused by high Pt loading in MEA is one of the key issues that hinder the commercialization of fuel cells, and thus the most direct way to reduce the cost of fuel cells is to reduce the amount of Pt in the MEA. However, a continuous decrease in the Pt loading in MEA will cause more serious activation overpotential and oxygen transport problems. In order to solve the above difficulties, on one hand, low Pt electrocatalysts, such as Pt alloy catalysts, Pt core–shell catalysts and shape-controlled Pt-based nanocrystals, have been proposed to improve the catalytic activities in the MEA, and on the other hand, accurately measuring the mass transfer resistance in catalytic layers is conducive to the development of low Pt membrane electrode technology. In this section, the introduction of PEMFCs and the components of MEA including proton exchange membrane (PEM), catalyst layers and gas diffusion layers (GDLs) are then discussed. In addition, low Pt electrocatalysts are our focus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Fuel Cells, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Junliang Zhang & Shuiyun Shen

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  1. Junliang Zhang
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  2. Shuiyun Shen
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Correspondence to Junliang Zhang .

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Zhang, J., Shen, S. (2021). Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). In: Low Platinum Fuel Cell Technologies. Energy and Environment Research in China. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56070-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56070-9_1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-56070-9

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