Carbon-free energy: a review of ammonia- and hydrazine-based electrochemical fuel cells

Most low-temperature fuel cells are based on the hydrogen fuel cell in some form, with its high power density and clean oxidation to yield no carbon-containing products. However, due to issues of compression and storage, research has been on-going into alternative “hydrogen-storage” compounds that can deliver similar performance in a more convenient form. The nitrogen hydrides, ammonia and hydrazine, have been candidate materials for fuels for nearly 50 years, but rapid advances in the past 5–6 years have shown them to be front-runners in the race for commercial, high-performance, portable fuel cells. In this review, we briefly summarise the recent advances in ammonia and hydrazine fuel cells.