Methanol-tolerant cathode electrode structure composed of heterogeneous composites to overcome methanol crossover effects for direct methanol fuel cell

A methanol-tolerant cathode electrode composed of heterogeneous composites was developed to overcome CO poisoning and large O 2 mass transfer overpotential generated by methanol crossover as well as the limitation of a single alloy catalyst with methanol-tolerance in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of hydrogen energy 2011-12, Vol.36 (24), p.15731-15738
Main Authors: Jung, Namgee, Cho, Yoon-Hwan, Ahn, Minjeh, Lim, Ju Wan, Kang, Yun Sik, Chung, Dong Young, Kim, Jinho, Cho, Yong-Hun, Sung, Yung-Eun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alloy development
Alternative fuels. Production and utilization
Applied sciences
Carbon monoxide
Cathode
Cathodes
CO poisoning
Crossovers
Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC)
Electrodes
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Fuels
Hydrogen
Mass transfer
Mass transport
Methanol crossover
Methanol-tolerance
Methyl alcohol
Particulate composites
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A methanol-tolerant cathode electrode composed of heterogeneous composites was developed to overcome CO poisoning and large O 2 mass transfer overpotential generated by methanol crossover as well as the limitation of a single alloy catalyst with methanol-tolerance in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Two additives, PtRu black and PTFE particles, were well distributed in the Pt/C matrix of the cathode electrode, and had significant effects upon open circuit voltage (OCV) and performance. A small amount of PtRu black protected the Pt surface during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by decreasing CO poisoning. In addition, hydrophobic PTFE particles reduced the O 2 mass transfer overpotential induced by water and permeated methanol in the cathode. Despite only 0.5 mg cm −2 of metal catalysts in the cathode, the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with 3 M methanol showed high performance (0.117 W cm −2), which was larger than that of the traditional MEA (0.067 W cm −2). ► We design a Pt/C cathode composite electrode including PtRu black and PTFE particles. ► PtRu black protects the Pt/C surfaces against CO poisoning. ► PTFE particles reduce the flooding caused by water and permeated methanol. ► The cathode results in high Pt utilization and low methanol crossover effects.
ISSN:0360-3199
1879-3487
DOI:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.09.054