Hydrogen energy recovery - H 2 - Based fuel cells

The Hydrogen economy is a crucial part in the future energy mix. In order to complete the circle in this economy, the recovery and use of H2 becomes crucial. In this chapter, we introduce various H2-based fuel cells discussing their electrochemical reactions, advantages and disadvantages as well as their application fields. Based on market shares, the focus of the chapter is put on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The discussion put forward covers the structure of PEMFCs, highlights the topics of research of interest and summarizes characterization techniques utilized for investigating their performance. In general, further development in PEMFC is dependent on the development of alternative materials that meet cost targets without compromising the stability and durability criteria.