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Improved performance of the direct methanol redox fuel cell

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Abstract

Advancements in the performance of the direct methanol redox fuel cell (DMRFC) were made through anolyte/catholyte composition and cell temperature studies. Catholytes prepared with different iron salts were considered for use in the DMRFC in order to improve the catholyte charge density (i.e., iron salt solubility) and fuel cell performance. Following an initial screening of different iron salts, catholytes prepared with FeNH4(SO4)2, Fe(ClO4)3 or Fe(NO3)3 were selected and evaluated using electrolyte conductivity measurements, cyclic voltammetry and fuel cell testing. Solubility limits at 25 °C were observed to be much higher for the Fe(ClO4)3 (>2.5 M) and Fe(NO3)3 (>3 M) salts than FeNH4(SO4)2 (~1 M). The Fe(ClO4)3 catholyte was identified as a suitable candidate due to its high electrochemical activity, electrochemical reversibility, observed half-cell potential (0.83 V vs. SHE at 90 °C) and solubility. DMRFC testing at 90 °C demonstrated a substantial improvement in the non-optimized power density for the perchlorate system (79 mW cm−2) relative to that obtained for the sulfate system (25 mW cm−2). Separate fuel cell tests showed that increasing the cell temperature to 90 °C and increasing the methanol concentration in the anolyte to 16.7 M (i.e., equimolar H2O/CH3OH) yield significant DMRFC performance improvements. Stable DMRFC performance was demonstrated in short-term durability tests.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the National Research Council, Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation (NRC-IFCI) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for their financial support. The NRC-IFCI assisted in meeting the publication costs of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada

    Alan B. Ilicic, Mohammad S. Dara & David P. Wilkinson

  2. Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation, National Research Council, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1W5, Canada

    Alan B. Ilicic, David P. Wilkinson & Khalid Fatih

  3. Clean Energy Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada

    Alan B. Ilicic, Mohammad S. Dara & David P. Wilkinson

Authors
  1. Alan B. Ilicic
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  2. Mohammad S. Dara
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  3. David P. Wilkinson
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  4. Khalid Fatih
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Correspondence to David P. Wilkinson.

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Ilicic, A.B., Dara, M.S., Wilkinson, D.P. et al. Improved performance of the direct methanol redox fuel cell. J Appl Electrochem 40, 2125–2133 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-010-0194-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-010-0194-7

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