Research Progress on Oxygen Reduction Catalysts for Hydrogen-Oxygen Fuel Cells Cathode

Developing effective and sustainable energy conversion technologies is of vital importance in addressing the increasingly serious environmental and energy issues. Due to its high energy density, rapid startup, and zero emission characteristics, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have shown great potential in the transportation and distributed energy sectors. However, in practical applications, the performance of PEMFCs is severely limited by the slow reaction rate of the cathode oxygen reduction process (ORR). Therefore, the development of effective and stable ORR catalysts is of vital importance for advancing the development of PEMFC technology. This article and its related content conduct a comprehensive analysis of fuel cell catalysts, covering both noble metal catalysts and non-noble metal catalysts. Additionally, it elaborates in detail on how advanced modification strategies can enhance the performance and stability of catalysts, and provides an outlook on the future design direction of catalysts that possess high activity, long lifespan, and economic efficiency.