Alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cells for cogeneration of electricity and valuable chemicals

Performance of a hybrid direct ethylene glycol fuel cell

“…Among them, the source, transport, and storage of hydrogen are still remaining to be solved for widespread application. In addition, because the gaseous hydrogen has to be compressed into liquid phase to reduce the device volume, the high pressure may lead to a potential safety problem . As for methanol, severe fuel crossover can result in dramatic performance degradation .…”

“…In addition, because the gaseous hydrogen has to be compressed into liquid phase to reduce the device volume, the high pressure may lead to a potential safety problem. 16 As for methanol, severe fuel crossover can result in dramatic performance degradation. 17 As for ethanol, the C─C bond is hardly broken in fuel cells running at low temperatures (generally <60°C), leading to a low electron transfer rate (ie, 33%).…”

“…17 As for ethanol, the C─C bond is hardly broken in fuel cells running at low temperatures (generally <60°C), leading to a low electron transfer rate (ie, 33%). 16,18 Ethylene glycol (EG), an alternative choice for fuel, has received considerable interest for mobile, stationary, and portable applications, resulting from its promising theoretical energy capacity of 4.8 Ah mL −1 , high boiling point of 198°C, and outstanding efficiency of electric power conversion. 19 Hence, the use of liquid EG not only avoids the poisoning and safety problems but also possesses an electron transfer rate as high as 80%.…”

Dynamic modeling of direct ethanol fuel cells upon electrical load change

“…For their ability to directly convert the chemical energy of alcohol to electricity, direct alcohol fuel cells have been proposed as a portable power source for electronic appliances . Among alcohol commonly used, ethanol fuel offers many advantages, such as higher energy density, easier handling and transportation, and less harm to end users.…”

“…For their ability to directly convert the chemical energy of alcohol to electricity, direct alcohol fuel cells have been proposed as a portable power source for electronic appliances. [1][2][3][4] Among alcohol commonly used, ethanol fuel offers many advantages, such as higher energy density, easier handling and transportation, and less harm to end users. On the other hand, the slow kinetics of ethanol electro-oxidation (EOR) lead to low-performance cells and transient behavior that is quite different from that of a hydrogen fuel cell.…”