Proton Ceramic Fuel Cell (PCFC) is in the research and development stage and has broad industry application prospects.

Proton Ceramic Fuel Cell (PCFC), which stands for Proton Conductive Ceramic Fuel Cell, is a fuel cell based on ceramic solid electrolyte material as a proton conductor from anode to cathode. PCFC has the advantages of low temperature dependence, strong fuel adaptability, good environmental effect, and high energy conversion efficiency. It has broad application prospects in the fields of power supply, distributed power generation, centralized power supply, etc.

​​​​Proton conductive ceramics are PCFC matrix materials and were discovered by Japanese scientists in the 1980s. Zirconium (Zr), cerium (Ce), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), etc. are important components of proton conductive ceramic materials. Among them, zirconium’s zirconate system has good chemical stability, and cerium’s zigzag system proton The conductivity is higher. In the medium and low temperature range, the conductivity of proton conductive ceramics is nearly a hundred times higher than that of traditional ceramic materials. However, it has defects such as poor adhesion ability, making it difficult to make electrolytic films. Affected by factors such as high technical barriers and low product maturity, the PCFC industry is still in the research stage and has not yet achieved commercial development.

The research of PCFC in developed countries such as Europe and the United States and Japan started earlier. In recent years, my country’s production enterprises and related scientific research institutions have been focusing on research on PCFC, but it has achieved significant results. In July 2022, the team of Professor Sun Kening of Beijing Institute of Technology used means and mechanisms such as oxygen ion alkaline regulation, oxygen vacancy promotion, and fluorination induction to achieve rapid diffusion of protons in PCFC oxygen electrode materials, making the energy conversion efficiency of the battery improved. improved. As my country’s independent research and development level continues to improve, the PCFC industry is expected to achieve industrialization development at an early date.

According to the “2022-2027 China Proton Ceramic Fuel Cell (PCFC) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report》shows that my country has a large population and strong demand for electricity, and its power generation has long been a global leader. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, my country’s power generation reached 8,111.28 billion kilowatt hours in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%. PCFC has the advantages of long service life and high energy conversion efficiency, and is suitable for power supply systems in remote areas. As a new generation of fuel cells, PCFC will have broad application prospects in power generation systems.

At present, the world’s major PCFC manufacturers and research institutions include Japan’s New Energy Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Canada’s Ballard Power Company (Ballard), and the United States’ Atrex Energy Company (Atrex), etc. PCFC research in my country is mainly concentrated on scientific research teams in universities, including Beijing Institute of Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic, etc.

Industry analysts said that proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFC) have excellent performance and are expected to be widely used in power generation systems. As a new generation Fuel cells have broad market prospects. However, currently, due to factors such as high technical barriers, my country’s PCFC has not yet achieved industrial development. As the independent research and development levels of local enterprises and scientific research institutions continue to improve, the industry’s development speed will further accelerate.