Direct methanol fuel cell requirements

Numerous functional electrochemical devices based on LbL films have been fabricated toward a variety of applications. The use of LbL films in such devices relies on the effective ion transport, that is, ionic conductivity, within the multilayered structure, which can be in both wet and dry states depending on the final application. For example, proton-exchange membranes in hydrogen and direct methanol fuel cells require a humid environment for ionic conductivity, while in lithium ion batteries, ion transport takes place in a dry environment. 

Fuel cells can run on fuels other than hydrogen. In the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), a dilute methanol solution ( 3%) is fed directly into the anode, and a multistep process causes the liberation of protons and electrons together with conversion to water and carbon dioxide. Because no fuel processor is required, the system is conceptually vei"y attractive. However, the multistep process is understandably less rapid than the simpler hydrogen reaction, and this causes the direct methanol fuel cell stack to produce less power and to need more catalyst. 

Given these requirements, hybrid and nonhybrid PEMFC systems are the leading contenders for automotive fuel cell power, with additional attention focusing on the direct-methanol fuel cell (DMFC) version of the technology and the possibility of using solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems as auxiliary power units for cars and trucks. 

Power requirements of portable hydrogen equipment such as cameras, mobile phones or laptop computers currently covered by batteries, typically of lithium ion type, could with a small fuel cell and some 10-20 g of directly or indirectly stored hydrogen prolong operational time by a factor of 5-10. A discussion of such options using direct methanol fuel cells is made in section 4.6. 

Membrane Requirements for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells.773... 

PEM fuel cells use a solid proton-conducting polymer as the electrolyte at 50-125 °C. The cathode catalysts are based on Pt alone, but because of the required tolerance to CO a combination of Pt and Ru is preferred for the anode [8]. For low-temperature (80 °C) polymer membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) colloidal Pt/Ru catalysts are currently under broad investigation. These have also been proposed for use in the direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) or in PEMFC, which are fed with CO-contaminated hydrogen produced in on-board methanol reformers. The ultimate dispersion state of the metals is essential for CO-tolerant PEMFC, and truly alloyed Pt/Ru colloid particles of less than 2-nm size seem to fulfill these requirements [4a,b,d,8a,c,66j. Alternatively, bimetallic Pt/Ru PEM catalysts have been developed for the same purpose, where nonalloyed Pt nanoparticles <2nm and Ru particles <1 nm are dispersed on the carbon support [8c]. From the results it can be concluded that a Pt/Ru interface is essential for the CO tolerance of the catalyst regardless of whether the precious metals are alloyed. For the manufacture of DMFC catalysts, in... 

Fuel cells offer the possibility of reduced emissions and high efficiency for transportation applications. Of the various fuel cells being considered, the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is very attractive due to the key advantages of reducing system complexity and potentially improving transient response compared to reformate-air fuel cell systems. However, DMFCs currently require unsupported noble metal catalysts at high loadings of... 

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