Nanomaterials for Fuel Cell Systems

Dear Colleagues,

The energy revolution based on hydrogen technologies offers huge advantages beyond the environmental benefits, such as economic and energy independence, remote and decentralized energy production by creating micro-grids based on renewable energy sources (RES) and green hydrogen from water electrolysis. There is a worldwide mobilization and many countries have already prepared their strategic plans and published hydrogen roadmaps. They have started the energy transition by choosing various hydrogen production technologies, and are moving carefully towards climate neutrality by 2050, where green hydrogen, fuel cells and electrolyzers together with RES will dominate. Pure hydrogen produced from the electrolysis of water (green hydrogen) is the ideal fuel for polymer electrolyte fuel cells, which is a mature technology for batteries in several application areas, and is able to successfully replace internal combustion engines, due to their much higher efficiencies and zero emissions. Currently, gray hydrogen makes up 95% of the H₂ produced worldwide, mainly from natural gas, but releases significant amounts of CO₂. If this process is integrated with the simultaneous capture and storage/use of the produced CO₂ (blue hydrogen technology), then a low carbon energy technology will be available, and this pathway is also considered in many countries’ roadmaps. Methanol is also considered as an attractive hydrogen carrier since it has the advantages of a liquid fuel in storage and transportation, can be produced from biomass and easily converted in a hydrogen rich fuel via a low temperature catalytic process. The research community is leading the technological breakthroughs and innovation in hydrogen technologies. This topic aims to provide an overview on fuel cell technologies, mainly of (but not limited) polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells (low and high temperature), including anode and cathode electrocatalysis, electrodes, electrolytes and membrane electrode assemblies. In addition, nanomaterials for catalytic fuel processing for the production and purification of hydrogen gas streams will also be included.

Another important topic highlighted in this Special Issue will be hydrogen storage; the hydrogen storage issue is critical to the growth of hydrogen fuel cells for both stationary and mobile applications. Three types of techniques can be used for hydrogen storage: compressed, liquid, and stored in a solid material. We will focus our attention on all hydrogen storage techniques.

All the submitted works should report recent trends, insights and advances in the fields of fuel processing and hydrogen utilization in fuel cells.

Dr. George Avgouropoulos
Prof. Dr. Alexandros Katsaounis
Dr. Rolando Pedicini
Topic Editors