Bipolar Membranes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—A Review
Direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) operate directly on liquid fuel instead of hydrogen, as in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. DLFCs have the advantages of higher energy densities and fewer issues with the transportation and storage of their fuels compared with compressed hydrogen and are adapted...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/8/730 |
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| author | Ines Belhaj Mónica Faria Biljana Šljukić Vitor Geraldes Diogo M. F. Santos |
| author_facet | Ines Belhaj Mónica Faria Biljana Šljukić Vitor Geraldes Diogo M. F. Santos |
| author_sort | Ines Belhaj |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) operate directly on liquid fuel instead of hydrogen, as in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. DLFCs have the advantages of higher energy densities and fewer issues with the transportation and storage of their fuels compared with compressed hydrogen and are adapted to mobile applications. Among DLFCs, the direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell (DBPFC) is one of the most promising liquid fuel cell technologies. DBPFCs are fed sodium borohydride (NaBH<sub>4</sub>) as the fuel and hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) as the oxidant. Introducing H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> as the oxidant brings further advantages to DBPFC regarding higher theoretical cell voltage (3.01 V) than typical direct borohydride fuel cells operating on oxygen (1.64 V). The present review examines different membrane types for use in borohydride fuel cells, particularly emphasizing the importance of using bipolar membranes (BPMs). The combination of a cation-exchange membrane (CEM) and anion-exchange membrane (AEM) in the structure of BPMs makes them ideal for DBPFCs. BPMs maintain the required pH gradient between the alkaline NaBH<sub>4</sub> anolyte and the acidic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> catholyte, efficiently preventing the crossover of the involved species. This review highlights the vast potential application of BPMs and the need for ongoing research and development in DBPFCs. This will allow for fully realizing the significance of BPMs and their potential application, as there is still not enough published research in the field. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:44:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3efd4d2094f940378fd721b6b04ebd8e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:44:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-3efd4d2094f940378fd721b6b04ebd8e2023-11-19T02:08:01ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752023-08-0113873010.3390/membranes13080730Bipolar Membranes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—A ReviewInes Belhaj0Mónica Faria1Biljana Šljukić2Vitor Geraldes3Diogo M. F. Santos4Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Laboratory for Physics of Materials and Emerging Technologies, Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCenter of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Laboratory for Physics of Materials and Emerging Technologies, Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCenter of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Laboratory for Physics of Materials and Emerging Technologies, Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCenter of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Laboratory for Physics of Materials and Emerging Technologies, Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCenter of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Laboratory for Physics of Materials and Emerging Technologies, Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalDirect liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) operate directly on liquid fuel instead of hydrogen, as in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. DLFCs have the advantages of higher energy densities and fewer issues with the transportation and storage of their fuels compared with compressed hydrogen and are adapted to mobile applications. Among DLFCs, the direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell (DBPFC) is one of the most promising liquid fuel cell technologies. DBPFCs are fed sodium borohydride (NaBH<sub>4</sub>) as the fuel and hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) as the oxidant. Introducing H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> as the oxidant brings further advantages to DBPFC regarding higher theoretical cell voltage (3.01 V) than typical direct borohydride fuel cells operating on oxygen (1.64 V). The present review examines different membrane types for use in borohydride fuel cells, particularly emphasizing the importance of using bipolar membranes (BPMs). The combination of a cation-exchange membrane (CEM) and anion-exchange membrane (AEM) in the structure of BPMs makes them ideal for DBPFCs. BPMs maintain the required pH gradient between the alkaline NaBH<sub>4</sub> anolyte and the acidic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> catholyte, efficiently preventing the crossover of the involved species. This review highlights the vast potential application of BPMs and the need for ongoing research and development in DBPFCs. This will allow for fully realizing the significance of BPMs and their potential application, as there is still not enough published research in the field.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/8/730direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs)direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cells (DBPFCs)ion-selective membranesbipolar membranepH-gradientcrossover |
| spellingShingle | Ines Belhaj Mónica Faria Biljana Šljukić Vitor Geraldes Diogo M. F. Santos Bipolar Membranes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—A Review Membranes direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cells (DBPFCs) ion-selective membranes bipolar membrane pH-gradient crossover |
| title | Bipolar Membranes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—A Review |
| title_full | Bipolar Membranes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—A Review |
| title_fullStr | Bipolar Membranes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—A Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bipolar Membranes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—A Review |
| title_short | Bipolar Membranes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—A Review |
| title_sort | bipolar membranes for direct borohydride fuel cells a review |
| topic | direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) direct borohydride–hydrogen peroxide fuel cells (DBPFCs) ion-selective membranes bipolar membrane pH-gradient crossover |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/8/730 |
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