Direct methanol fuel cell durability

Kim YS, Zelenay P (2009) Direct methanol fuel cell durability. In Biichi FN et al (eds) Polymer electrolyte fiiel cells durability. Springer, New York, pp 223-240... 

This survey focuses on recent developments in catalysts for phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC), proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), and the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). In PAFC, operating at 160-220°C, orthophosphoric acid is used as the electrolyte, the anode catalyst is Pt and the cathode can be a bimetallic system like Pt/Cr/Co. For this purpose, a bimetallic colloidal precursor of the composition Pt50Co30Cr20 (size 3.8 nm) was prepared by the co-reduction of the corresponding metal salts [184-186], From XRD analysis, the bimetallic particles were found alloyed in an ordered fct-structure. The elecbocatalytic performance in a standard half-cell was compared with an industrial standard catalyst (bimetallic crystallites of 5.7 nm size) manufactured by co-precipitation and subsequent annealing to 900°C. The advantage of the bimetallic colloid catalysts lies in its improved durability, which is essential for PAFC applicabons. After 22 h it was found that the potential had decayed by less than 10 mV [187],... 

Perform complete electrochemical and non-electrochemical testing to gain insight into key factors impacting performance and durability of direct-methanol fuel cells. 

Lei M, Wang SL, Li LH, Tang WH (2011) A Nalion-silica cathode electrolyte for durable elevated-temperature direct methanol fuel cells. J Power Sources 196 1123-1126... 

Lee CH, Lee SY, Lee YM, Lee SY, Rhim JW, Lane O, McGrath JE (2009) Surface-fluorinated proton exchange membrane with high electrochemical durability for direct methanol fuel cells. ACS Appl Mater Interface 1 1113-1121... 

Applications and Durability of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells... 

Electrode Catalysts for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, Fig. 9 Changes in MOR activities of Pt-Ru catalysts synthesized with and without addition of D J -tartaric acid by potential cycling durability test... 

We conclude that carbon nanocoils (CNCs) are an excellent support for flie electrodes of direct methanol fuel cells. Further, the CNC maintains stable catalytic activity by measuring power density versus time for up to 100 hr in a DMFC unit cell in the performance of fuel cells since the durability of the electrode is significant for long-term applications, it is believed that the CNC is a highly promising electrode for long-term fuel cells. However, since the issue of durability and stability of the fuel cell electrode is very important, more in-depth study of these characteristics is still underway. 

Figure 13.10. DMFC performance losses caused by average (left) and extreme (right) contamination of the cathode by ruthenium crossover. The polarization plot for a DMFC with a Pt-Ru cathode, instead of a Pt cathode, is shown for reference in the left-hand graph. Cell temperature 75 °C [64]. (Reproduced by permission of ECS—The Electrochemical Society, from Zelenay P. Performance durability of direct methanol fuel cells.)...

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