Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract

The disruptive approach of applying alkaline anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) in alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs) potentially meets several of the challenges facing other approaches to low temperature fuel cells, including the otherwise high catalyst and fuel costs. Thus, the move to alkaline conditions at the electrodes opens the potential use of a range of low cost non-precious-metal catalysts, as opposed to the otherwise necessary use of platinum-group-metal (PGM) based catalysts. Further, it becomes possible to consider hydrogen fuels containing substantial amounts of impurities, whereas an acidic membrane approach (that in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, PEMFCs) requires high-purity gases and PGM catalysts.