Flameless Combustion of Hydrogen in UAVs Develop Efficient Anode Catalyst for Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction in Alkaline Media
Abstract
Hydrogen has the highest specific energy density (33.3 kWh/kg) among all fuels, andchemical-to-electrical energy conversion with fuel cells is not limited by the Carnot efficiency.Thus, hydrogen fuel cells could be an attractive alternative for internal combustion enginesin light aircrafts, especially for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with extended operationalranges. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are commercially available, however, their heavyreliance on platinum group metals (PGMs) as electrocatalysts is the main contributor to the highcost of H2-fueled fuel cells. The alkaline environment of hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells(HEMFCs) opens up the possibility of employing non-PGM electrocatalysts for both anode andcathode. While several non-PGM based electrocatalysts with comparable performance with theirPGM based counterparts exist for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction, major breakthroughs areneeded in the development of non-PGM catalysts for the anodic hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR). Hydrogen binding energy (HBE) has been shown to be a good descriptor for PGM HORcatalysts. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to develop guiding principles torationally design active and stable non-PGM HOR catalysts for HEMFC powered UAVs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2018
- Source ID
- FA95501810001
Entities
People
- Bingjun Xu
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Delaware