Fuel cells articles within Nature Materials

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The self-assembly of metallic nanoparticles on oxide supports via metal exsolution relies on dopant transport, but strong electrostatic gradients and space charges typically control the properties of surfaces. The surface–dopant interaction is shown to be the main determining factor for the exsolution kinetics of nickel in a perovskite system.

    • Moritz L. Weber
    • , Břetislav Šmíd
    •  & Christian Lenser

  • Article |

    Solid-state ionic conduction is a key enabler of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. A quantitative framework for ionic conduction between atomistic and macroscopic timescales in β- and β″-aluminas is now proposed for ‘atoms-to-device’ multiscale modelling and optimization.

    • Andrey D. Poletayev
    • , James A. Dawson
    •  & Aaron M. Lindenberg

  • News & Views |

    A hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cell consisting of a nickel-based anode and a cobalt–manganese–oxide cathode is shown to achieve a power density of 488 mW cm–2 at 95 °C.

    • Frédéric Jaouen

  • Article |

    Phosphonated polymers have been proposed as anhydrous proton conductors for fuel cells but anhydride formation of phosphonic acid functional groups lowers conductivity. A synergistically integrated phosphonated poly(pentafluorostyrene) is shown to maintain high protonic conductivity above 200 °C.

    • Vladimir Atanasov
    • , Albert S. Lee
    •  & Yu Seung Kim

  • Article |

    Deployment of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells is limited by the durability of Pt-nanoscale catalysts during cathodic oxygen reduction reactions. Dissolution processes on single crystalline and thin film surfaces are now correlated leading to the design of PtAu catalysts with suppressed dissolution.

    • Pietro P. Lopes
    • , Dongguo Li
    •  & Vojislav R. Stamenkovic

  • Article |

    Fast oxide ion and proton conductors at intermediate temperature are required to improve the performance of ceramic fuel cells. An undoped hexagonal perovskite Ba7Nb4MoO20 electrolyte with high proton and oxide ion conductivity (4.0 mS cm−1) at 510 °C is now reported.

    • Sacha Fop
    • , Kirstie S. McCombie
    •  & Abbie C. Mclaughlin

  • Article |

    Although acceptor-doped barium zirconate is a promising conductor for electrolysers or fuel cells, our understanding of the relationship between proton motion and conductivity is limited. Our simulations now suggest a generic nanoscale percolation mechanism for high mobility in other oxides.

    • Fabian M. Draber
    • , Christiane Ader
    •  & Manfred Martin

  • Review Article |

    Advances in electrocatalysis at interfaces are vital for driving technological innovations related to energy. New materials developments for efficient hydrogen and oxygen production in electrolysers and in fuel cells are described.

    • Vojislav R. Stamenkovic
    • , Dusan Strmcnik
    •  & Nenad M. Markovic

  • Letter |

    Disordering in complex oxides is important for their radiation resistance. It is now shown that pyrochlores disorder by the formation of a weberite-like phase, with similar behaviour observed in spinels, adding complexity to their disordering.

    • Jacob Shamblin
    • , Mikhail Feygenson
    •  & Maik Lang

  • Article |

    Although solid oxide electrochemical cells can store electricity and convert fuels to electricity, their development is limited by long-term stability. Degradation is now eliminated by reversibly cycling between electrolysis and fuel-cell modes.

    • Christopher Graves
    • , Sune Dalgaard Ebbesen
    •  & Mogens Bjerg Mogensen

  • Article |

    Heavy alkaline-earth hydrides could be of interest as ionically conducting electrolytes for electrochemical applications. Barium hydride is now shown to exhibit fast ionic transport of hydride ions in a high-temperature and high-symmetry phase.

    • Maarten C. Verbraeken
    • , Chaksum Cheung
    •  & John T. S. Irvine

  • Letter |

    Oxide ion conductors are technologically relevant for applications in electrochemical devices such as sensors, separation membranes and fuel cells. Magnesium doping in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3—a piezoelectric material that suffers from high leakage conductivity—now results in a family of ionic conductors that could prove significant not only for dielectric-based applications but also for intermediate-temperature solid-oxide fuel cells.

    • Ming Li
    • , Martha J. Pietrowski
    •  & Derek C. Sinclair

  • Article |

    Although high proton conductivity and chemical stability in yttrium-doped barium zirconate are of interest for intermediate-temperature solid-oxide fuel cells, there are remaining issues regarding its defect chemistry and macroscopic proton-transport mechanism. Proton transport in this compound is shown to be limited by proton–dopant association, and the presence of two types of proton environment above room temperature are observed, reflecting differences in proton–dopant configurations.

    • Yoshihiro Yamazaki
    • , Frédéric Blanc
    •  & Sossina M. Haile

  • Article |

    Although oxygen vacancy distributions and dynamics control the operation of solid-oxide fuel cells, understanding the atomistic mechanisms involved during operation of the cell has proved difficult. An approach for the direct mapping of oxygen vacancy concentrations based on local lattice parameter measurements by scanning transmission electron microscopy is now proposed.

    • Young-Min Kim
    • , Jun He
    •  & Albina Y. Borisevich

  • Article |

    A key step in fuel-cell energy-conversion processes is electro-oxidation of the fuel at the anode, but ways to improve electrocatalytic activity remain unclear. Using ceria–metal structures, H2-oxidation reactions are shown to be dominated by electrocatalysis at the oxide/gas interface with minimal contributions from the oxide/metal/gas triple-phase boundaries.

    • William C. Chueh
    • , Yong Hao
    •  & Sossina M. Haile

  • Article |

    Developing oxygen-electrode catalysts with high activity at low cost for renewable energy applications such as water splitting and fuel cells is challenging. A hybrid material of Co3O4 nanocrystals grown on reduced graphene oxide exhibits enhanced catalytic performance for the oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions.

    • Yongye Liang
    • , Yanguang Li
    •  & Hongjie Dai

  • Letter |

    Cathode degradation and methods for improving the selectivity of anode catalysts remain crucial challenges for the design of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. A chemically modified Pt electrode with a self-assembled monolayer of calix[4]arene molecules is now shown to selectively block the undesired oxygen reduction reaction.

    • Bostjan Genorio
    • , Dusan Strmcnik
    •  & Nenad M. Marković

  • Article |

    In situ spectroscopic analysis of operating solid oxide electrochemical cells has proved to be difficult owing to high-vacuum requirements. Ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy on single-chamber cells now suggests that surface reaction kinetics and electron transport on the electrodes are co-limiting processes.

    • Chunjuan Zhang
    • , Michael E. Grass
    •  & Bryan W. Eichhorn

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