CIESC Journal ›› 2024, Vol. 75 ›› Issue (4): 1469-1484.DOI: 10.11949/0438-1157.20231409

• Reviews and monographs • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Application and optimization of carbon supports in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Binbin FENG(), Mingjia LU(), Zhihong HUANG, Yiwen CHANG, Zhiming CUI()   

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, Guangdong, China
  • Received:2023-12-31 Revised:2024-03-15 Online:2024-06-06 Published:2024-04-25
  • Contact: Zhiming CUI

碳载体在质子交换膜燃料电池中的应用及优化

冯彬彬(), 卢明佳(), 黄志宏, 常译文, 崔志明()   

  1. 华南理工大学化学与化工学院,广东 广州 510641
  • 通讯作者: 崔志明
  • 作者简介:冯彬彬(2004—),男,本科生,1786021507@qq.com
    卢明佳(1990—),女,博士,15626139536@163.com
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金面上项目(22072048);广东省重点研发计划项目(2023B0909060003)

Abstract:

As the energy crisis and environmental pollution continue to intensify, there is an increasingly urgent need for devices with high energy conversion efficiency and low pollution. Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), as a green energy conversion device with high efficiency and zero pollution, is considered as a promising alternative to traditional energy. At present, making automotive fuel cell systems competitive in the market still faces challenges in terms of cost and durability. The current mainstream way to reduce costs is to reduce the platinum load on the catalyst. However, lower platinum loading usually means a smaller catalyst surface area and greater mass transfer resistance, resulting in loss of performance. In addition, the durability problem is also a major obstacle restricting the development of fuel cell vehicles, especially the problem of carbon corrosion. From the perspective of optimizing carbon supports, this review first combined the current research status in the field of carbon supports, and proposed the characteristics of ideal carbon supports by comparing commercial carbon supports and novel carbon supports. Secondly, based on the theory of oxygen transport resistance, different optimization strategies were discussed from the aspect of optimizing the mass transfer ability of carbon supports, including the construction of ordered column array structure, the regulation of pore structure and the regulation of surface properties of carbon supports. Among them, optimizing the pore structure of carbon supports to enhance the local mass transfer capacity is a commonly employed strategy, and mesoporous carbon supports are a prominent example of this strategy. Ordered column arrays, represented by vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT), have attracted wide attention due to their high ordered structure, efficient transport path and high catalyst utilization potential. However, they still face difficulties in water management and large-scale manufacturing. In addition to the above two strategies, the uniform distribution of the ionomer film through the surface modification of the carbon supports is also conducive to mass transfer. Then, in terms of carbon corrosion, considering the impact of carbon corrosion on the durability of PEMFC, strategies to improve the corrosion resistance of carbon supports were reviewed according to the reaction and theoretical analysis of carbon corrosion, including improving the degree of graphitization, physical coating, adding OER catalyst, surface treatment and increasing the hydrophobicity of supports. The obvious and direct way to improve the corrosion resistance of carbon supports is to increase the graphitization degree of carbon supports by high temperature calcination to obtain stable carbon structure. Finally, the development direction of carbon supports in the future is prospected, which can provide reference for the construction and design of novel carbon supports.

Key words: fuel cells, supports, mass transfer, carbon corrosion, durability

摘要:

随着能源危机和环境污染不断加剧,人们对高能量转换效率且低污染装置的需求日益迫切。质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)作为一种高效能、零污染的绿色能源转换装置,被认为是替代传统能源的有望选择之一。目前,要使汽车燃料电池系统具有市场竞争力仍面临成本和耐久性的挑战。当前降低成本的主流方式为降低催化剂上的铂负载,然而,较低的铂负载通常也意味着较小的催化剂表面积,更大的传质阻力,从而导致性能损失。此外,耐久性问题也是制约燃料电池汽车发展的一大阻力,尤其是碳腐蚀问题。本综述从优化碳载体的角度出发,结合目前研究现状,深入探讨了传质和碳腐蚀两方面的不同优化策略,并对未来碳载体的发展方向进行展望,可为新型碳载体的构建提供参考。

关键词: 燃料电池, 载体, 传质, 碳腐蚀, 耐久性

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