Abstract

Fuel cells offer the possibility of zero-emissions electricity generation and in

creased energy security. We review
here the current status of solid oxide (SOFC) and polymer electrolyte membrane (
PEMFC) fuel cells. Such solid
electrolyte systems obviate the need to contain corrosive liquids and are thus p
referred by many developers over alkali,
phosphoric acid or molten carbonate fuel cells. Dramatic improvements in power d
ensities have been achieved in both
SOFC and PEMFC systems through reduction of the electrolyte thickness and archit
ectural control of the composite
electrodes. Current efforts are aimed at reducing SOFC costs by lowering operati
ng temperatures to 500800 C, and
reducing PEMFC system complexity be developing water-free membranes which can also
be operated at temperatures
slightly above 100 C.
? 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Fuel cells; Solid electrolytes; Electroceramics; Polymers; Platinum gr
oup metals
1. Introduction
Because of their potential to reduce the environmental
impact and geopolitical consequences of the
use of fossil fuels, fuel cells have emerged as tantalizing
alternatives to combustion engines. Like a
combustion engine, a fuel cell uses some sort of
chemical fuel as its energy source; but like a battery,
the chemical energy is directly converted to
electrical energy, without an often messy and relatively
inefficient combustion step. In addition to
* Tel.: +1-626-395-2958; fax: +1-626-395-3933.
E-mail address: smhaile@caltech.edu (S.M. Haile).
The Golden Jubilee IssueSelected topics in Materials
Science and Engineering: Past, Present and Future, edited by
S. Suresh.
1359-6454/$30.00 ? 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All righ
ts reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.actamat.2003.08.004
high efficiency and low emissions, fuel cells are
attractive for their modular and distributed nature,
and zero noise pollution. They will also play an
essential role in any future hydrogen fuel economy.
The primary components of a fuel cell are an ion
conducting electrolyte, a cathode, and an anode, as
shown schematically in Fig. 1. Together, these
three are often referred to as the membrane-electrode
assembly (MEA), or simply a single-cell fuel
cell. In the simplest example, a fuel such as hydrogen
is brought into the anode compartment and an
oxidant, typically oxygen, into the cathode compartment.
There is an overall chemical driving
force for the oxygen and the hydrogen to react to
produce water. Direct chemical combustion is prevented
by the electrolyte that separates the fuel
(H2) from the oxidant (O2). The electrolyte serves