Monday, 10 October 2022
Hydrogen that has high energy density is one of the main energy sources for the next generation. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), which can utilize hydrogen's high energy storage density, are a very useful power source. The development of oxygen supply and storage technologies is essential for PEMFCs. Hydrogen peroxide, which has a high oxygen storage density, is present in an aqueous state at room temperature, making it easier to transport and storage in sparse oxygen environments. However, decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by catalyst has some problems. In order to reserve hydrogen peroxide, it is necessary to add stabilizers, but this causes degradation of the catalyst. We identified the effect of hydrogen peroxide stabilizers on the catalyst in the long-time decomposition reaction. The activation time of the catalyst depends not only on the materials of catalyst but also on the reactor design, and on the decomposition conditions. The effect of these variables on activation time were analyzed. As a result, the possibility of using hydrogen peroxide for long-term oxygen supply to PEMFCs was verified. We observed an improved activation time of 23 hours while maintaining an 1.6L/min oxygen flow rate.
