Progress of g‐C 3 N 4 and carbon‐based material composite in fuel cell application

Fuel cells are the most promising alternative green and clean energy source in the future because of their low carbon emissions. Fuel cells have been employed in various applications, including large-scale stationary power generation, distributed combination heat and power, transport, and mobile and stationary applications. Generally, a fuel cell system consists of a proton exchange membrane or polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), a catalyst layer, a microporous layer, a gas diffusion layer, and a bipolar plate at the anode and cathode. PEMs are an important component in fuel cell applications that act as proton carriers and separators for the anode and cathode, while catalyst support materials are a major component of proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The membrane and catalyst affect the cost, durability, and electrochemical activity of fuel cells. Researchers have made serious attempts to develop materials that can reduce the cost of membrane and catalyst manufacturing, lowering the overall cost of fuel cells. Because of its unique features like 2D structure, ease of fabrication, and low production cost, graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN or g-C3N4) is now frequently mentioned. Due to their exceptional qualities, carbon-based materials are also commonly used in a variety of applications, including fuel cells. The effectiveness of experiments using g-C3N4, carbon nanotube (CNT), and graphene as essential materials in enhancing fuel cell performance is discussed in this study. This review, primarily for fuel cell applications, discusses ways of adjusting the structure in terms of porosity, dimension tailoring, and atomic and edge functionalization. The study also involved the properties of composite materials as well as their respective applications on membranes as well as fuel cell catalysts. This review is useful for investigations into g-C3N4, CNT, and graphene because it offers ideas and direction for improving the potential of associated systems, including fuel cells, hydrogen production, solar cells, batteries, and supercapacitors. Highlights The materials that can reduce the cost of membrane and catalysts manufacture, lowering the overall cost of fuel cells are discussed. The effectiveness of using g-C3N4, carbon nanotube, and graphene as essential materials in enhancing fuel cell performance is presented. The properties of composite materials and their functioning in membranes and catalysts application are described thoroughly.