Ionic liquid-modified materials as polymer electrolyte membrane and electrocatalyst in fuel cell application: An update

Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising solvents for catalytic and electrolyte applications, gas absorption, and extractions in electrochemical systems due to their useful features, such as high conductivity and good thermal, chemical, and electrical stability. This review focuses on incorporating ILs into fuel cell (FC) systems, specifically into two main components of FC (ie, polymer electrolyte membrane and electrocatalyst). In FC, a polymer electrolyte membrane with excellent conductivity and deprived of humidity even at high temperatures must be created for effective early commercialization of this technology. Electrocatalyst performance can also be enhanced with additive materials, such as ILs, thus further improving the entire achievement of FCs. This work discusses the most important reasons for ongoing studies and outlines the current progress in using ILs as a revolutionary form of polymer electrolyte membrane and electrocatalyst.