New energy and new power – the prospect of increasing use of polymers in fuel cells

Researching on fuel cells is an important direction of developing new energy in the twenty-first century. Fuel cells present broad application in the aerospace, military, power stations, electric vehicles and portable power applications due to their high power conversion efficiency (40–60%), environmental friendliness and reliability, small size, low noise and so on. This review gives an introduction into the fundamental, characteristics and applications of various fuel cells. In addition, the development of increasing use of polymers in fuel cells is also prospected.