Research Trends of Anion Exchange Membranes within Alkaline Fuel Cells

Recently, alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs) have received a lot of attention as an alternative to proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). AMFCs have a number of advantageous characteristics, including rapid oxygen reduction reaction, which can reduce the amount of platinum catalyst loading. When compared with aqueous KOH-electrolyte alkaline fuel cells, AMFCs do not suffer from the precipitation of potassium carbonate, and may also be operated under high pressure. However, the lack of high performance anion exchange membranes has restricted the commercialization of the AMFC system. Here we review recent research trends in anion exchange membranes and discuss the future prospects of AMFCs.