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Advancements and Innovations in Low-Temperature Hydrogen Electrochemical Conversion Devices Driven by 3D Printing Technology

Published in Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering

Go to the profile of Lillian Zhang
Lillian Zhang
Editor, Nano-Micro Letters
Advancements and Innovations in Low-Temperature Hydrogen Electrochemical Conversion Devices Driven by 3D Printing Technology
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Advancements and Innovations in Low-Temperature Hydrogen Electrochemical Conversion Devices Driven by 3D Printing Technology - Nano-Micro Letters

3D printing, as a versatile additive manufacturing technique, offers high design flexibility, rapid prototyping, minimal material waste, and the capability to fabricate complex, customized geometries. These attributes make it particularly well-suited for low-temperature hydrogen electrochemical conversion devices—specifically, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells, anion exchange membrane electrolyzer cells, and alkaline electrolyzers—which demand finely structured components such as catalyst layers, gas diffusion layers, electrodes, porous transport layers, and bipolar plates. This review provides a focused and critical summary of the current progress in applying 3D printing technologies to these key components. It begins with a concise introduction to the principles and classifications of mainstream 3D printing methods relevant to the hydrogen energy sector and proceeds to analyze their specific applications and performance impacts across different device architectures. Finally, the review identifies existing technical challenges and outlines future research directions to accelerate the integration of 3D printing in next-generation low-temperature hydrogen energy systems.

As global hydrogen demand surges, the high cost and long lead times of traditional machining limit the scale-up of PEM fuel cells and water electrolyzers. Now, a multi-institution team led by Prof. Min Wang (China University of Petroleum), Prof. Gaoqiang Yang (Hunan University) and Prof. Feng-Yuan Zhang (University of Tennessee) has delivered a comprehensive roadmap on additive-manufacturing every key component—CL, GDL, PTL, BP—at <100 °C. The work shows how 3D printing can cut platinum use, eliminate assembly steps and push devices to 2 A cm-2, offering a fast track to low-cost green-hydrogen systems.

Why 3D-Printed Hydrogen Components Matter
   • Ultra-Low Precious-Metal Loading: Ink-jet and DIW patterning reduce Pt to 0.02 mg cm-2 while boosting utilization above 16 kW g-1.
   • Rapid Prototype-to-Test Cycle: CAD-to-cell in 24 h accelerates flow-field optimization without moulds or tooling.
   • Monolithic Integration: All-in-one bipolar electrode (AIOBE) fuses CL/PTL/BP/gasket, slashing interfacial resistance 14×.

Innovative Design and Features
   • Printing Portfolio: DIW, IJP, DLP, SLS, SLM and EBM are matched to CL (μm pores), GDL (graded porosity), PTL (ordered bubble highways) and BP (complex channels).
   • Multi-Material & Multi-Scale: Core–shell nozzles co-print Ti-alloy frames with conductive polymer channels; 10 µm binder-jetting meets sub-millimeter electrolyzer tolerances.
   • Low-Temperature Compatibility: <100 °C operation widens material choice to PLA, ABS, nickel and titanium alloys.

Applications and Future Outlook
   • PEMFC: 3D-printed stepped flow fields lift power density to 672 mW cm-2; flexible TangoPlus plates enable bendable fuel cells for wearables.
   • Electrolyzers: Gradient Ni PTL shrugs off 1 A cm-2 for 1 000 h; SLM Ti BP delivers 2 A cm-2 at 1.715 V without noble-metal substrates.
   • Challenges & Opportunities: Sub-µm resolution, surface finish and long-term corrosion remain. Next targets are AI-driven inverse design, recyclable photopolymers and roll-to-roll multi-nozzle systems.

This review provides a blueprint for additive manufacturing to unlock scalable, low-cost hydrogen energy devices. Stay tuned for further advances from Prof. Wang, Prof. Yang and Prof. Zhang!

Go to the profile of Lillian Zhang
Lillian Zhang
Editor, Nano-Micro Letters

Editor of Nano-Micro Letters, which is an Open-Access, peer-reviewed journal reported papers that have at least one dimension ranging from a few sub-nanometers to a few hundreds of micrometers. The journal is published by Springer Nature and indexed by SCI, EI, SCOPUS, Pubmed, etc. The 2024 JCR Impact Factor is 36.3. The 2024 CiteScore is 53.1.

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Hydrogen Energy
Physical Sciences > Chemistry > Industrial Chemistry > Hydrogen Energy
Fuel Cells
Physical Sciences > Chemistry > Physical Chemistry > Electrochemistry > Fuel Cells
Electrochemistry
Physical Sciences > Chemistry > Physical Chemistry > Electrochemistry
Industrial and Production Engineering
Technology and Engineering > Mechanical Engineering > Industrial and Production Engineering
  • Nano-Micro Letters Nano-Micro Letters

    Nano-Micro Letters is a peer-reviewed, international, interdisciplinary and open-access journal that focus on science, experiments, engineering, technologies and applications of nano- or microscale structure and system in physics, chemistry, biology, material science, and pharmacy.

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