Porous Carbon Supports for Low-Pt Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

doi:10.1007/s41918-025-00259-8

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2025, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (4): 22-.doi: 10.1007/s41918-025-00259-8

Porous Carbon Supports for Low-Pt Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Jiabin You¹, Jing Hu², Zhifeng Zheng², Huiyuan Li¹, Liuxuan Luo¹, Xiaojing Cheng¹, Xiaohui Yan¹, Shuiyun Shen¹, Junliang Zhang^1,3

1. Institute of Fuel Cells, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China;
2. Joint Research Laboratory by SJTU-Fuel Cell Institute and Wenjing Energy Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200240, China;
3. MOE Key Laboratory of Power and Machinery Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

收稿日期:2024-11-14 修回日期:2025-03-02 出版日期:2025-12-20 发布日期:2026-01-13
通讯作者: Xiaohui Yan,E-mail:yanxiaohui@sjtu.edu.cn;Shuiyun Shen,E-mail:shuiyun_shen@sjtu.edu.cn;Junliang Zhang,E-mail:junliang.zhang@sjtu.edu.cn E-mail:yanxiaohui@sjtu.edu.cn;shuiyun_shen@sjtu.edu.cn;junliang.zhang@sjtu.edu.cn
基金资助:
This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2021YFB4001305), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52276206), and the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (No. 21DZ1208600).

Porous Carbon Supports for Low-Pt Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Jiabin You¹, Jing Hu², Zhifeng Zheng², Huiyuan Li¹, Liuxuan Luo¹, Xiaojing Cheng¹, Xiaohui Yan¹, Shuiyun Shen¹, Junliang Zhang^1,3

1. Institute of Fuel Cells, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China;
2. Joint Research Laboratory by SJTU-Fuel Cell Institute and Wenjing Energy Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200240, China;
3. MOE Key Laboratory of Power and Machinery Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

Received:2024-11-14 Revised:2025-03-02 Online:2025-12-20 Published:2026-01-13
Contact: Xiaohui Yan,E-mail:yanxiaohui@sjtu.edu.cn;Shuiyun Shen,E-mail:shuiyun_shen@sjtu.edu.cn;Junliang Zhang,E-mail:junliang.zhang@sjtu.edu.cn E-mail:yanxiaohui@sjtu.edu.cn;shuiyun_shen@sjtu.edu.cn;junliang.zhang@sjtu.edu.cn
Supported by:
This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2021YFB4001305), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52276206), and the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (No. 21DZ1208600).

摘要/Abstract

摘要： Attaining both high performance and long-term durability remains a critical yet challenging objective for low-Pt proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The carbon support on which catalysts and ionomers are dispersed strongly affects the cell performance by influencing the Pt activity, mass transport, and degradation. Currently, porous carbons endowed with a high surface area and internally embedded Pt particles are gaining prominence as promising support materials for low-Pt PEMFCs owing to their exceptional catalyst dispersion and kinetic activity. However, challenges in terms of unclear triple-phase boundaries, poor mass transport, and insufficient durability hinder their widespread implementation. Thus, this review provides a comprehensive understanding of and advanced guidelines for the exploration of porous carbons in low-Pt PEMFCs. We begin by analyzing the structures and morphologies of porous carbon catalysts to obtain an overview of their pore structures, Pt deposition, ionomer distribution, and water condensation. We subsequently summarize the mass transport mechanisms involved, exploring state-of-the-art strategies for improving mass transport through engineering accessible pore structures, tailoring uniform ionomer distributions, and incorporating well-defined ionic liquids, among other approaches. Furthermore, we highlight the effects of catalysts and porous carbon degradation on performance loss and introduce recent approaches to mitigate performance loss. Finally, we present conclusions along with outlooks on future exploration priorities. This extensive analysis of current challenges and advances in porous carbon supports is offered to inspire innovative ideas and technologies for the development of next-generation carbon supports for low-Pt PEMFCs.

关键词: Porous carbon supports, Mass transport, Degradation, Cathode catalyst layers, Proton-exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract: Attaining both high performance and long-term durability remains a critical yet challenging objective for low-Pt proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The carbon support on which catalysts and ionomers are dispersed strongly affects the cell performance by influencing the Pt activity, mass transport, and degradation. Currently, porous carbons endowed with a high surface area and internally embedded Pt particles are gaining prominence as promising support materials for low-Pt PEMFCs owing to their exceptional catalyst dispersion and kinetic activity. However, challenges in terms of unclear triple-phase boundaries, poor mass transport, and insufficient durability hinder their widespread implementation. Thus, this review provides a comprehensive understanding of and advanced guidelines for the exploration of porous carbons in low-Pt PEMFCs. We begin by analyzing the structures and morphologies of porous carbon catalysts to obtain an overview of their pore structures, Pt deposition, ionomer distribution, and water condensation. We subsequently summarize the mass transport mechanisms involved, exploring state-of-the-art strategies for improving mass transport through engineering accessible pore structures, tailoring uniform ionomer distributions, and incorporating well-defined ionic liquids, among other approaches. Furthermore, we highlight the effects of catalysts and porous carbon degradation on performance loss and introduce recent approaches to mitigate performance loss. Finally, we present conclusions along with outlooks on future exploration priorities. This extensive analysis of current challenges and advances in porous carbon supports is offered to inspire innovative ideas and technologies for the development of next-generation carbon supports for low-Pt PEMFCs.

Key words: Porous carbon supports, Mass transport, Degradation, Cathode catalyst layers, Proton-exchange membrane fuel cell

Jiabin You, Jing Hu, Zhifeng Zheng, Huiyuan Li, Liuxuan Luo, Xiaojing Cheng, Xiaohui Yan, Shuiyun Shen, Junliang Zhang. Porous Carbon Supports for Low-Pt Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells[J]. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2025, 8(4): 22-.

[1]	Xiaojing Cheng, Guanghua Wei, Liuxuan Luo, Jiewei Yin, Shuiyun Shen, Junliang Zhang. Application of Solid Catalysts with an Ionic Liquid Layer (SCILL) in PEMFCs: From Half-Cell to Full-Cell[J]. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2023, 6(4): 33-.
[2]	Tianyu Li, Xiao-Zi Yuan, Lei Zhang, Datong Song, Kaiyuan Shi, Christina Bock. Degradation Mechanisms and Mitigation Strategies of Nickel-Rich NMC-Based Lithium-Ion Batteries[J]. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2020, 3(1): 43-80.

Porous Carbon Supports for Low-Pt Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Porous Carbon Supports for Low-Pt Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

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