Although it went unnoticed, this announcement from Tianjin University on 28 December 2023 could reshuffle the deck. Professor Jiao Kui’s team has developed a fuel cell with remarkable performance.
The work has been published in the journal Joule, the bible for specialists. A team* made up mostly of Chinese researchers has restructured the architecture of the PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell. They incorporated new components and optimised the water, gas and heat transfer pathways. The scientists have achieved an ultra-thin fuel cell, thanks to an ultra-thin film of carbon nanofibres and nickel foam that reduces the thickness of the electrode-membrane assembly by 90%. Above all, they have doubled the volumetric power density of the fuel cell.
The team estimated that the maximum volumetric power density of the fuel cell using this new structure could potentially reach 9.8 kilowatts per litre, exceeding the performance of current consumer products by more than 80%.
*With the support of Imperial College London and the University of California, Davis.
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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King
