Design of tubular high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEM-FCs): Development, challenges, and perspectives

Fuel cells (FCs) have gained a prominent position in recent years within the scientific community and the energy market as an alternative to mitigate the inherent problems in the energy production based on fossil fuels such as the constant reduction of nonrenewable resources, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change. The versatility of high temperature (HT) proton exchange membrane (PEM) FCs, together with their high efficiency and potentially better performance compared to their counterparts, makes them an excellent candidate to accelerate the transition to more environmental friendly energy sources and processes. In recent years, notable developments in this technology have been reported, focusing on the cell components in a planar arrangement, which is the predominant design for all PEM-FCs. Alternative designs are lagging, even though tubular and conical structures can eventually enhance the power density, decrease sealing areas, and reduce fabrication costs. A lack of information regarding the transition between geometries makes the development and evaluation process tedious and challenging for unconventional architectures. This manuscript describes the development of a novel HT-PEM-FC, pointing out the challenges faced during component manufacturing and the proposed tubular FC perspectives.