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Carbon-based materials in proton exchange membrane fuel cells: a critical review on performance and application

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A Correction to this article was published on 11 December 2023

This article has been updated

Abstract

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are an auspicious energy conversion technology with the potential to address rising energy demands while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The stack’s performance, durability, and economy scale are greatly influenced by the materials used for the PEMFC, viz., the membrane electrocatalyst assembly (MEA) and bipolar flow plates (BPPs). Despite extensive study, carbon-based materials have outstanding physicochemical, electrical, and structural attributes crucial to stack performance, making them an excellent choice for PEMFC manufacturers. Carbon materials substantially impact the cost, performance, and durability of PEMFCs since they are prevalently sought for and widely employed in the construction of BPPs and gas diffusion layers (GDLs)) and in electrocatalysts as a support material. Consequently, it is essential to assemble a review that centers on utilizing such material potential, focusing on its research development, applications, problems, and future possibilities. The prime focus of this assessment is to offer a clear understanding of the potential roles of carbon and its allotropes in PEMFC applications. Consequently, this article comprehensively evaluates the applicability, functionality, recent advancements, and ambiguous concerns associated with carbon-based materials in PEMFCs.

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Source: Jayakumar [39]

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Availability of data and coding materials

The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Change history

  • 27 December 2023

    The original publication has been corrected. A missing figure source has been added. Also, equation 1 has been corrected.

  • 11 December 2023

    A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42823-023-00664-3

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Green Vehicle Technology Research Centre, Department of Automobile Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chengalpattu, 603203, TN, India

    Dinesh Kumar Madheswaran & Praveenkumar Thangavelu

  2. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India

    Ram Krishna

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, 641112, TN, India

    Mohanraj Thangamuthu & Arulmozhivarman Joseph Chandran

  4. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nisantasi University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ilhami Colak

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All the authors were equally involved in the manuscript’s concept, design, and writing. The preparation of the materials, the data collection, and the data analysis were performed by DKM, TP, RK, MT, and AJ. IC has supervised and modified the manuscript based on the comments and discussions. DKM wrote the first draft of the manuscript, which was reviewed and commented on by all the authors throughout the revision process. The final manuscript was read and approved by all the authors.

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Correspondence to Ram Krishna.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. There is no evidence that the authors have any competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the results reported in this paper in a manner that may have appeared biased.

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No human participants are involved in this research; therefore, no ethical approval is needed.

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Dr. Ram Krishna.

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Madheswaran, D.K., Thangavelu, P., Krishna, R. et al. Carbon-based materials in proton exchange membrane fuel cells: a critical review on performance and application. Carbon Lett. 33, 1495–1518 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42823-023-00526-y

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