An assessment of alkaline fuel cell technology

This paper provides a review of the state of the art of alkaline fuel cell (AFC) technology based on publications during the past twenty-five years. Although popular in the 1970s and 1980s, the AFC has fallen out of favour with the technical community in the light of the rapid development of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). AFCs have been shown to provide high power densities and achieve long lifetimes in certain applications, and appear to compete favourably with ambient air PEM fuel cells. In this report we examine the overall technology of AFCs, and review published claims about power density and lifetime performance. Issues surrounding the sensitivity of the AFC to CO2 in the oxidant stream are reviewed and potential solutions discussed. A rough cost comparison between ambient air AFCs and PEMFCs is presented. Overall, it appears the Alkaline Fuel Cell continues to have potential to succeed in certain market niche applications, but tends to lack the R&D support required to refine the technology into successful market offerings.