Direct methanol fuel cells are appealing as power sources to replace lithium-ion batteries in portable devices as they can offer uninterrupted power as long as the methanol fuel is fed and do not need an electrical outlet to recharge. However, their commercialization is hampered by high methanol crossover from the anode to the cathode through the membrane, poisoning of the cathode catalyst by the methanol that crossed over, and the dissolution of Ru from the anode PtRu catalyst, resulting in performance losses and poor long-term stability. With an aim to overcome these difficulties, this presentation will focus on the development of (i) blend membranes based on acid-base interactions between an acidic polymer such as sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) and a basic polymer such as heterocycle-tethered polysulfone, (ii) Pd-based nanoalloy catalysts such as Pd-Co for the oxygen reduction reaction, and (iii) Pt-Sn-Ce-Ru catalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction. A 20 W stack built based on the above materials will also be presented.

Suppressed methanol-crossover membranes and methanol-tolerant electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells

245th National Meeting (2013)

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