Direct Use of Methanol in Fuel Cells

Abstract

A fuel cell is a device in which the energy of a fuel is converted directly into electricity direct current by an electrochemical reaction without resorting to a burning process, rather than to heat by a combustion reaction. Methanol can be used in blend with conventional fuels without engine modification or pure as a fuel. The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is an extremely promising power source for portable applications due to its simple handling and processing of fuel. A DMFC converts chemical energy into electricity via oxidization of methanol. Research into the electro-catalysis of methanol has been stimulated by intense interest in advancing fuel cells. Main advantages of direct use of methanol in fuel cells are: (a) Methanol is fed into fuel cell; (b) Complicated catalytic reforming is not needed; (c) The actual power densities of a DMFC are clearly lower than those of a conventional hydrogen-fed polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Methanol oxidation reaction at Pt and Pt alloy electrodes has attracted considerable attention during the last decades in relation to the direct methanol fuel cells.

Keywords:

• clean energy
• direct use
• fuel cell
• methanol