Single-cell Investigations to Attain High Performance Levels

PROGRESS IN TECHNOLOGY 1. Single-Cell Investigations to Attain High Performance Levels 

The enthusiasm for developing DMFCs (the fuel cell researcher s dream) evolved in the 1960s, which was really the boom period for R D activities on all types of fuel cell technologies, mainly because of NASA s vital need for fuel cell power plants for space vehicles. As early as the 1960s it was recognized that the major challenges in developing DMFCs 

Recent studies (in the 1990s) focused on the optimization of structures and compositions of electrodes, membranes, and membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) and of operating conditions. The major accomplishments in these areas are summarized as follows  

Investigations at Siemens in Erlangen, Germany, have used unsupported platinum-ruthenium anodes (4 mg/cm ) and platinum black cathodes (4 mg/cm ). Their best performances were 0.52 V at 400 mA/cml At Los Alamos National Laboratory in New MexicoJ the electrocatalyst was unsupported R-RuOx at the anode and unsupported R black at the cathode (R loading about 2 mg/cm ). In a subsequent study, the thinner Nafion 112 membrane was used to reduce the ohmic drop. Under pressure at 400 mA/cm cell potentials of 0.57 V with Oj and 0.52 

V with air were attained. The group at the University of Newcastle also reported similar performances using electrodes with a Pt loading of about 2 mg/cml  

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