Fuel Cells - Fundamentals and Applications

TLDR: In this paper, the authors discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both low-temperature and high temperature fuel cells and propose a modularization of fuel cells, which makes them quite flexible as the power needed can easily be attained by changing the number of modules.

Abstract: Fuel cells will make a valuable contribution to future power generation facilities. They improve the flexibility and increase the options for many applications, such as distributed power, vehicle propulsion, and portable devices. Their main property is the high electrical efficiency compared to other energy conversion devices. Both the low-temperature and the high-temperature fuel cells have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the application. Sometimes, they can both be implemented in similar applications. The modularity of fuel cells makes them quite flexible as the power needed can easily be attained by changing the number of modules. Twenty years ago, mainly universities and research institutions but only a few companies conducted fuel cell research working on the fundamentals of fuel cells. Nowadays due to the commercial interest innumerable research groups and companies have fuel cell activities ranging from the investigation of catalysts (both improving existing catalyst systems as searching for new catalysts), the development of novel membranes for PEMFCs and DMFCs, to the development of other components for fuel cells. Optimisation of flow field structures, backing layers, and other components of the single cells have intensified. (orig.)