Nanowerk July 26, 2023
Over the past few decades, considerable advances have been achieved in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) based on the development of material technology. Recently, an emerging multiscale architecting technology covering nanometer, micrometer, and millimeter scales has been regarded as an alternative strategy to overcome the hindrance to achieving high-performance and reliable PEMFCs. In their review article researchers in South Korea provided summaries of progress in the key components of PEMFCs based on a novel architecture strategy. In the first section, diverse architectural methods for patterning the membrane surface with random, single-scale, and multiscale structures as well as their efficacy for improving catalyst utilization, charge transport, and water management were discussed. In the subsequent sections, the electrode structures designed with 1D and 3D multiscale structures to enable low Pt usage, improve oxygen transport, and achieve high electrode durability were elucidated. They also described recent advances in the architecture transport layer for improving mass transportation including pore gradient, perforation, and patterned wettability for gas diffusion layer and 3D structured/engineered flow fields… Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Overview of multiscale architectured membrane, electrodes, and transport layer for high-performance PEMFCs… Credit: Advanced Materials, Early View, 2204902, 22 October 2022