RECENT ADVANCES IN PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS: A REVIEW

Abstract: A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy converter that converts the chemical energy of fuel into electrical energy. Among the various types of fuel cells, the present review focusses on Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). High energy conversion efficiencies, quick start-up and zero by-product emissions are the key advantages of PEMFCs. Main components of PEMFCs are Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL), bipolar plates and so on. This paper mainly reviews and summarizes research carried out on proton exchange membrane fuel cells in the past six years (2010 to 2016). For ease and clarity of presentation, the present review is divided into experimental, numerical, combined experimental and numerical, and studies on some of the reviews on fuel cell. The paper also lists conclusions and suggestions for future work.

Keywords: Fuel cells, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, gas diffusion layer, bipolar plate.