Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Broga Road, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, No. 135, Yuan-Tung Road, Chungli, Taoyuan 320, Taiwan.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 Nov 1;793:148705. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148705. Epub 2021 Jun 24.
Fuel cells (FCs) are a chemical fuel device which can directly convert chemical energy into electrical energy, also known as electrochemical generator. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are one of the most appealing FC systems that have been broadly developed in recent years. Due to the poor conductivity of electrolyte membrane used in traditional PEMFC, its operation at higher temperature is greatly limited. The incorporation of ionic liquids (ILs) which is widely regarded as a greener alternative compared to traditional solvents in the proton exchange membrane electrolyte shows great potential in high temperature PEMFCs (HT-PEMFCs). This review provides insights in the latest progress of utilizing ILs as an electrochemical electrolyte in PEMFCs. Besides, electrolyte membranes that are constructed by ILs combined with polybenzimidazole (PBI) have many benefits such as better thermal stability, improved mechanical properties, and higher proton conductivity. The current review aims to investigate the newest development and existing issues of ILs research in electrolyte and material selection, system fabrication method, synthesis of ILs, and experimental techniques. The evaluation of life cycle analysis, commercialization, and greenness of ILs are also discussed. Hence, this review provides insights to material scientists and develops interest of wider community, promoting the use of ILs to meet energy challenges.
燃料电池（FCs）是一种化学燃料装置，可将化学能直接转化为电能，也称为电化学发电机。质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFCs）是近年来得到广泛发展的最具吸引力的 FC 系统之一。由于传统 PEMFC 中使用的电解质膜导电性差，其在较高温度下的运行受到很大限制。与传统溶剂相比，离子液体（ILs）被广泛认为是一种更环保的替代品，将其纳入质子交换膜电解质中，在高温质子交换膜燃料电池（HT-PEMFCs）中具有很大的潜力。本综述提供了在质子交换膜燃料电池中使用 ILs 作为电化学电解质的最新进展的见解。此外，由 ILs 与聚亚苯并咪唑（PBI）结合而成的电解质膜具有许多优点，例如更好的热稳定性、改善的机械性能和更高的质子电导率。本综述旨在研究 ILs 在电解质和材料选择、系统制造方法、ILs 合成和实验技术方面的最新发展和存在的问题。还讨论了生命周期分析、商业化和 ILs 的绿色性的评估。因此，本综述为材料科学家提供了见解，并激发了更广泛的社区的兴趣，促进了使用 ILs 来应对能源挑战。
