Direct Glycerol Fuel Cells: Comparison with Direct Methanol and Ethanol Fuel Cells

Abstract

The direct oxidation reaction of glycerol (GOR) was studied and compared to that of methanol (MOR) and ethanol (EOR) in both acid and alkaline media using commercial Pt/C, PtRu/C, Pd/C and PdNi/C electrocatalysts. The results show that GOR and MOR in alkaline media is better than that in acid media, in contrast to ethanol. Among the studied catalysts, PtRu/C showed the lowest onset potential and the highest catalytic activity for GOR and MOR in alkaline media, providing the lowest onset potential and a Tafel slope (TS) of 63 mV dec À 1 , which could be attributed to the high surface poisoning tolerance. In fuel cells, the open circuit voltage of alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) was higher than that of the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In the kinetic region (up to 20 mA cm À 2 ), the power density and cell performance were higher for AEMFCs than those of PEMFCs. However, the power density peaks were higher for PEMFCs than those for AEMFCs. Both the cell performance and the power density increased with increasing temperature. Regardless of the temperature and the media, glycerol crossover is comparable to that of ethanol but much less than that of methanol.

Solar-driven valorisation of glycerol on BiVO4 photoanodes: effect of co-catalyst and reaction media on reaction selectivity

“…16 Therefore, glycerol has a potential to be used in both H 2 generating electrolyzers and direct alcohol fuel cells. 29,30 Here, we present the study of the photoelectrochemical glycerol oxidation on BiVO 4 -based photoanodes in different pH environments. Our work demonstrates that tungsten doping in the BiVO 4 structure, aided by the deposition of a nickel oxyhydroxide (denoted in the text as NiO x (OH) y , see discussion below) co-catalyst layer, notably improves the kinetics of glycerol oxidation on the photoanode.…”

Ionomer Significance in Alkaline Direct Methanol Fuel Cell to Achieve High Power with a Quarternized Poly(terphenylene) Membrane

“…A plethora of liquid fuels have been studied in DLFC systems, the majority being studied in acidic medium due to the advanced development of proton exchange membranes (PEM). − However, operating DLFCs under acidic medium suffers from several drawbacks such as high fuel crossover from anode to cathode, corrosion of components, necessity for noble metal catalysts, and sluggish kinetics for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Several of these issues can be mitigated by operating DLFCs under alkaline conditions. − However, the development of highly conductive and stable anion exchange membranes (AEM) and anion exchange ionomers (AEI) has been a challenging feat to achieve . Nonetheless, large strides in their developments have been made in recent years with the use of different polymer backbones in which AEM hydrogen fuel cells have been able to achieve power densities comparable to their PEM fuel cell counterparts. ,− …”

Void-Enriched and Highly Strained Porous Au–Ag Nanoalloy as a Bifunctional Electro-Catalyst in Alkaline Direct Alcohol Fuel Cell

“…Like ethylene glycol, glycerol is also a byproduct of biodiesel production and can be considered as an inexpensive, renewable, environment-friendly, low-volatile (boiling point, 290 °C), and less-toxic fuel. 18 Along with the smart selection of a high-energy density fuel, efficient overcoming of the limitations of traditional Pt/C or Pt-based nanoalloys by fabricating a new generation catalyst will help us to design an efficient fuel cell. The catalytic ability (low E on and high j) of our newly designed highly porous, multiple voids enriched NP alloy for MOR, EGOR, GOR in alkaline medium shows a better pact in this direction and pushes for its immediate application in DAFC.…”

“…The same drawbacks also continue in the case of direct glycerol fuel cell (DGFC) where a higher molecular weight alcohol like glycerol is used as the fuel. Like ethylene glycol, glycerol is also a byproduct of biodiesel production and can be considered as an inexpensive, renewable, environment-friendly, low-volatile (boiling point, 290 °C), and less-toxic fuel . Along with the smart selection of a high-energy density fuel, efficient overcoming of the limitations of traditional Pt/C or Pt-based nanoalloys by fabricating a new generation catalyst will help us to design an efficient fuel cell.…”