Issue 3, 2015

A noble metal-free proton-exchange membrane fuel cell based on bio-inspired molecular catalysts

Abstract

Hydrogen is a promising energy vector for storing renewable energies: obtained from water-splitting, in electrolysers or photoelectrochemical cells, it can be turned back to electricity on demand in fuel cells (FCs). Proton exchange membrane (PEM) devices with low internal resistance, high compactness and stability are an attractive technology optimized over decades, affording fast start-up times and low operating temperatures. However, they rely on the powerful catalytic properties of noble metals such as platinum, while lower cost, more abundant materials would be needed for economic viability. Replacing these noble metals at both electrodes has long proven to be a difficult task, so far incompatible with PEM technologies. Here we take advantage of newly developed bio-inspired molecular H2 oxidation catalysts and noble metal-free O2-reducing materials, to fabricate a noble metal-free PEMFC, with an 0.74 V open circuit voltage and a 23 μW cm−2 output power under technologically relevant conditions. X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements confirm that the catalysts are stable and retain their structure during turnover.

Graphical abstract: A noble metal-free proton-exchange membrane fuel cell based on bio-inspired molecular catalysts

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
06 dec 2014
Accepted
05 jan 2015
First published
06 jan 2015
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2015,6, 2050-2053

Author version available

A noble metal-free proton-exchange membrane fuel cell based on bio-inspired molecular catalysts

P. D. Tran, A. Morozan, S. Archambault, J. Heidkamp, P. Chenevier, H. Dau, M. Fontecave, A. Martinent, B. Jousselme and V. Artero, Chem. Sci., 2015, 6, 2050 DOI: 10.1039/C4SC03774J

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